Focused
by CantaloupeDuck
Summary: (Formerly Focus) Annabeth is going into her final season on the Goode High volleyball team, and along with it comes every kind of responsibility imaginable. Colleges, her current relationship, friendships, and plenty of other things that happen along the way. She just needs to remain focused. Or so she thought.
1. Chapter 1

Hey, y'all. So, my account kind of got deleted (formerly TheMythTheLegend) (and when I say that it got deleted I mean I lost my email address and password) so I'm starting this over on another account. Hopefully I get all the readers back but who knows. As always, don't know the characters and whatever. Thanks for reading!

* * *

As the smell of liquor and smoke filled her nostrils for what seemed like the millionth time that night, and several pairs of hands shoved her towards the open closet door, Annabeth came to the realization that she should've just stayed home.

The second that Piper had texted and asked if she wanted to come with her to Drew's party, she had a sick feeling immediately overtake her entire body. But she, like the idiot that she is, had said yes.

It was a Friday night, they had just crushed one of their rival teams in their volleyball game the night before, and she had nothing else to do. Why not?

So, she had thrown on the best looking dress Piper had available for her, did her makeup nicer than she normally would have and elevated the outfit with a nice pair of silvery heels. She spent most of her time getting ready trying to convince herself that she would have a fun time.

Well, it was more of Piper trying to convince her that she'd have a fun time.

As the girls did their hair and makeup together, Annabeth's best friend went on and on about how amazing this party was going to be. She spoke about the amount of people coming, the certain special people that would be there, and even about the kinds of alcohol that would be present.

Drew had a certain way in which she bypassed ID checks that no one really knew. Annabeth had always theorized that she simply flashed the men behind the counter and it was enough for them to hand over the booze.

But anyway, she had stupidly agreed to attend and was quickly realizing she shouldn't have. It wasn't long before the closet door slammed shut behind her, and several people leaned against it so it couldn't be opened so she could escape. "Shit," Annabeth cursed under her breath before she turned to the other person in the closet across from her, an equally flustered football player who'd also gotten shoved in against his will. "Uh..." she began before she stopped, unable to meet his gaze.

There were very few cases in which she, Annabeth Chase, was at a loss for words, yet here she was. The boy was looking at her, hanging on the single word that dissipated in the air, before he cleared his throat. "Ah...well, I don't know if we've ever been properly introduced," he admitted with a sheepish smile. He held out a hand. "Jason Grace." She clasped his hand in hers, giving it a few firm shakes before she pulled back. "Annabeth Chase," she said, giving him an equally unsure smile.

She already knew who he was, but she was thankful for the opportunity to waste another minute until she could escape the closet and reunite with Piper.

He was the quarterback for the Goode High School varsity football team, and Annabeth figured everyone in town knew the blonde-haired athlete either from his performance on the field or the numerous pictures of him plastered in the newspapers. After the simple handshake, his smile became a bit more genuine. "The volleyball team captain," he said with a small chuckle. "You're quite the living legend."

She shook her head immediately, giving him a modest smile. "I'm really not," she assured, though he responded with a shake of his head. "Don't give me that! I came to your last home game, against Yancy. You guys absolutely destroyed them." Annabeth assured him that she couldn't take credit for anything and that it was their team that got the win.

"You're one to talk though," she said through a small smile as she recounted his performance in their last football season. Their first game was scheduled for the following Friday, so they hadn't actually played yet this year. They talked sports for a bit before someone slammed a fist on the door and surprised both of them as the girl in question shrieked out that they had one minute left. Mischief lit up in Jason's eyes as he grabbed her arm for a moment to gain her attention.

"Hey, follow my lead."

He pushed his fingers through his hair to mess it up from how it was perfectly styled, and continued on to loosen the collar of his button down and switch the buttons so it looked like he had hastily redone it. She got his idea and mussed up her own curly blonde hair, pushing the shoulder straps of her dress so one of them hung off limply as if someone had been tugging on her dress. As they both heard people counting down outside the door, he gently touched her arm, giving her a sheepish smile. "Oh, yeah, uh...by the way," he began sheepishly. Annabeth could see the pink tint in his cheeks even in the dark closet.

"If it's not too big of a request, do you think you could talk to Piper about me?"

* * *

When they finally released the pair from the closet, the first thing to happen was everyone cheering Jason on and asking for details about what they had "done" in there. Some of his teammates slapped him on the back, hollering and whistling as Jason gave a sheepish smile and fixed his shirt and his hair.

The first one to speak to Annabeth individually was Piper. She quickly pulled her aside to a more secluded area and gave her the single most apologetic look that the blonde had ever seen. "I'm so sorry," she exclaimed, grasping her friend's arms tightly. "I turned around to talk to Hazel for a second and when I turned back around Silena had you and was dragging you towards the closet."

Piper was one of her teammates and oldest friends. Though she loved her to death, it often frustrated Annabeth that her friend was able to look stunning and beautiful no matter what. Whether she had just gotten out of a hard practice, was drenched in sweat, and had her choppy brown hair thrown into a ponytail or if she was dressed up in some of her nicest clothes and wearing flawless makeup like she was now, she was beautiful. Annabeth had to try ten times as hard just to look half as decent.

It took a few moments for the blonde to realize that Piper's multicolored eyes were still trained intently on her, and she simply offered a shrug and a small smile. "Hey, don't worry about it," she laughed and stole Piper's red plastic cup from her hand, taking a swig of whatever was inside. It tasted strong and it burned going down her throat, but she welcomed the fiery feeling it left in her stomach.

The brunette simply rolled her eyes and stole the cup back, though Annabeth could see the small smile that played on her lips. "I didn't even see you get pulled out of the closet because there was such a big crowd. Who did you get stuck in there with?" she asked, taking a sip from her returned cup as they both watch Silena grab some poor cheerleader and shove her towards the door, everyone cheering in response.

"Well, Jason," Annabeth admitted with a shrug, which definitely caught Piper's attention. "Jason Grace?" she asked, thoroughly shocked. "You got to play seven minutes in heaven with the Jason Grace?" Annabeth laughed, throwing her arm around her flustered friend before she stole her cup once more. "No, Pipes. We just sat and talked," she assured the brunette before she took a long sip from the cup.

The burn from the alcohol inside it was becoming numb and it ended up tasting a lot better now.

"Really though, you are into him, right?"

Piper playfully fanned her face with her hand, leaning against her friend. "Into him is an understatement," she admitted with a slight shrug as she swooned, taking the opportunity to go on and on about his gorgeous blue eyes and that blonde hair that could help you spot him from a mile away.

Annabeth just listened, deciding to be a supportive friend as she drained the rest of the liquid from the cup. When it was gone, she set it down on the end table near the couch.

When she felt the time was right, she finally rested a hand on her friend's arm to stop her, and gave her a big smile before she spoke: "He asked me about you."

* * *

After Annabeth had told her friend all the nice details about the conversation back in the closet concerning her, she almost squealed. Immediately after, Piper went to find Jason before the blonde could stop her, and she was alone once more. She made her way to the kitchen to get her own drink since she had drained Piper's during her rant about the star quarterback.

On her way over, Annabeth had to dodge around people in the living room dancing and grinding away to some loud music, drunk people standing in groups while they talked and laughed loudly, as well as several people so drunk or high that they had no idea where they were or what was going on. She finally made it to the kitchen, where it was surprisingly not as crowded, though there were a couple people in there.

The two of them were actually seated on the kitchen table, making out like there was no tomorrow.

As Annabeth rifled through the fridge for a decent drink, she stole glances at the couple. She had no idea who the boy was, but anyone could have recognized the girl. Drew Tanaka, the host of every wild and crazy party ever thrown and the captain of the cheer team. How stereotypical, right?

She hated that she couldn't find a decent drink, and was considering just leaving so she wouldn't have to listen to them sucking face, when Drew finally giggled and climbed off his lap, gently leading him out of the kitchen. When she got to the door, though, she stopped and let him keep going.

When he was finally out of sight, she sauntered over towards Annabeth and gave her a small smile, her lipstick only the tiniest bit smudged from her encounter with the mystery guy. "Hey, Annie," she giggled as she grabbed a red cup from the stack on the counter, pouring in several different liquids before she was satisfied and took a tentative sip. "I hope you're having fun."

Since Annabeth was a volleyball player, she was one of the more popular girls in the school. This also meant that Drew was decently nice to her, unlike how she acted towards others. Annabeth didn't really know what to think of her. She had heard horror stories of her destroying relationships, ruining lives with rumors, but she had no clue if they were true or not. She didn't care to find out, either. The blonde simply grabbed a beer from the back and shut the door before she twisted the cap off. "Hey, Drew," she said politely, giving her the smallest of smiles. "I am. I mean...other than getting locked in the closet, I guess."

They shared a laugh as Drew leaned against a counter across from her. "Yeah, Silena loves trying to match people up like that," the cheerleader said with a smile as she sipped her drink. "Her heart is in the right place, it's just that her methods aren't sound whatsoever."

They shared another laugh before Drew leaned a little closer and gave her a little grin. "How are you and Luke, though?" she asked in a soft voice before she winked slyly. Annabeth's cheeks flushed a tame shade of pink as she mentioned her boyfriend, and the image of his beautiful blue eyes and his sandy colored hair popped into her mind.

Reason number one why she had been so hesitant to head into the closet: Her boyfriend, Luke Castellan, was a couple years older than herself and was enrolled in a university in upstate New York. They had started dating a couple months or so ago, when he had been home for summer break. They had been friends since childhood, and she realized her crush on him long before they actually started dating. She was happy. He was amazing, sweet, caring; everything a great boyfriend should be. It was just hard for her not seeing him all that often.

Annabeth snapped out of her daydream with the realization that Drew's eyes were still focused intently on her, waiting for her answer. She nodded and gave the cheerleader a warm smile. "Things are amazing, actually," she chuckled softly. "He's coming home next weekend for the first time since he went up there in August, and I'm excited to see him."

Drew nodded with a warm smile, sipping her drink as she listened to Annabeth speak about her boyfriend. If there was one thing she could respect, it was a good relationship like the volleyball player and her boyfriend had. "That's amazing, Annie."

They both laughed a little and talked until a loud crash sounded from the living room, and Drew had to run off to check what it was.

Meanwhile Annabeth stayed in the kitchen, sipping her drink and daydreaming about when Luke would be coming home.

* * *

The night dragged on, and soon Annabeth went off to find Piper. She knew that the brunette had been either looking for or following around Jason all night, and that it was time for them to get to Annabeth's house.

She searched around the living room and the surrounding hallways of the giant house, before she came across someone who she knew would know where the quarterback was.

Percy Jackson, Jason's best friend, teammate, and cousin. He was one of the other star players on the team, a runningback with scholarships lined up from almost every single major college in the country. Besides football, he was definitely a hotshot at Goode. With his messy dark hair and his sea green eyes, every girl within the school had a crush on him, whether past or present (It also didn't hurt that he had a pretty great physique).

Not that Annabeth was part of that statistic.

He had been leaning against the wall with a can of Coke held in his hand, watching as a group of people played spin the bottle on the living room floor, all too drunk to care who or what they were actually kissing. As the blonde approached him, he raised his eyes from the game to her, and gave her a small smile. "Hey," he said before taking a sip of his drink.

She opened her mouth to speak, but was beat to the punch by the raven-haired boy. "I'm guessing you're looking for Piper," he stated with a smile. He motioned towards the sliding glass door that led into the backyard with his elbow.

"She's out there, talking with Jason." As she gave him a small smile and thanked him, she started to head towards the door. He called out to her once again, causing her to spin around. "Hey, do you mind sending Jason in here? We need to get going too."

* * *

It wasn't long before Annabeth and Piper were on their way in the car. The blonde was driving, since she'd only had a bit to drink, and therefore was cursed to listen to her tipsy friend about her night with the star quarterback.

As she pulled into her driveway, she felt as if she knew more about Jason than even Percy did. Since it was late, they headed inside and snuck up to Annabeth's room.

She had to push Piper up the stairs faster since her friend was a. slightly drunk, b. not old enough to be slightly drunk and c. in the same house as the blonde's overbearing stepmother.

They finally made it up and Annabeth shut and locked the door behind them, breathing a sigh of relief before she began to get herself ready for bed.

They had an afternoon practice almost every Saturday and Sunday, since they were on the warpath for the state championship. Their coach believed they needed to devote every single day to volleyball, which Annabeth strongly agreed with.

She removed her own makeup and dress clothes, changing into shorts and a blue volleyball hoodie before she assisted Piper. She had recently stopped her rant about Jason, and instead talked to her friend about volleyball. The two of them were team captains together and needed to find ways to bring the team together over the course of the season. They wouldn't get anywhere if they didn't all work together as a single unit.

"Team bonding!" Piper assured her friend as she managed to finally pull on her t-shirt that she had been struggling with for the past couple minutes. Annabeth snorted but nodded in agreement as she tied her hair up into a messy bun, several blonde curls framing her face as they came loose. "That's a conversation for tomorrow, when you're not too tipsy to suggest going camping together or taking a group shopping trip," the blonde quipped as she climbed into her bed, flicking off her lamp as her friend threw herself down beside her.

Piper muttered a joke about how Annabeth needed to dress in something besides t-shirts and spandex sometime in her life, though the blonde simply ignored her. "Shut up, Piper. Just go to sleep."

Her friend finally took heed of her words and drifted off, though Annabeth stayed awake for a bit, just thinking. About volleyball, about the party, about school, about everything.

She'd been stressing harder than she needed to over her final year of high school and her senior season of her favorite sport.

Sometimes, she got too much in her own head and got too worked up over trivial matters like school or practices. Though, she believed it kept her grounded for the most part.

So maybe it was a good thing.

Right?


	2. Chapter 2

Alright y'all, I'm just gonna spam post the first five chapters, since that's what I had done originally, and we're finally gonna get to debut the sixth one. I've had it done for months but that doesn't matter right now. Don't own any of the characters. Enjoy!

* * *

The shrieking sound of a whistle echoed through the gym, which simply made Annabeth's lungs feel like they were even more on fire, if that was possible. "Hustle, girls!"

That would be their coach, a shorter woman named Kim, who had been coaching volleyball for Goode for almost 30 years. She had about 20 district, 10 regional, and 3 state championship wins under her belt.

So, yeah. She knew her stuff.

At the moment, they were running full court sprints, touching each line on the length of the volleyball court in succession and sprinting back to the baseline repeatedly until they made their way back and forth across the court. Whenever they slacked too much, their coach would blow her whistle and signal that they'd better pick it up or else they would be running more.

As she reached down to brush her fingers along the hardwood floor at half court after their fifth consecutive time up and down the court, Annabeth winced.

Her skin was burning and sweat poured down her face and her chest. She hadn't been worked this hard in a while. Their coach strongly believed that a good volleyball team was a conditioned volleyball team, which was a fair thought.

They didn't have a game until next week on Wednesday, and their coach thought that they needed to do more intense training and workouts the entire week before.

Annabeth enjoyed the challenge to an extent, but her body certainly did not. One of her life mottos was that "running is good for the body but bad for the soul".

When she finished her series of sprints, she slowed down back on the initial end of the court and smacked her forehead against the padded wall, breathing harder than she thought possible.

They had spent most of the practice sprinting and lifting weights and doing other strenuous full-body workouts rather than actual volleyball drills, and everyone was thoroughly exhausted.

When the team had finished their sprints, their coach gathered them up in a loose circle near the middle of the gym and stood in the center of them all, looking around at every one of them.

"Nice work today, ladies," she said in a voice tinged with approval. "The effort and hustle I saw on that court today shows all the makings of a championship team."

Her statement was met with whoops from the volleyball players, all tired and sweaty but grinning nonetheless. Their head coach made eye contact with Annabeth as she spoke her next words.

"The leadership I see on and off the court is what is going to lead us to states this year."

Her gaze moved on, and Annabeth gave a little grin as she brushed off some sweat that had been dripping down her forehead. "Keep working hard and get ready for a light practice on Saturday and Sunday."

The team cheered one final time before they all dispersed to take off their shoes and knee pads, Piper and Annabeth walking side by side over towards where their bags were laying near the wall. "I feel like I'm going to collapse," Piper muttered, tugging loosely on the collar of her sweat-soaked t-shirt. "Coach is really making us work for starting spots this year, huh?"

Annabeth simply cracked a grin at her friend as she plopped down to remove her shoes. "Yeah, well, I wouldn't worry if I were you, Pipes. You've been varsity setter for two years even before this season started. I think you're gonna be alright," she chuckled as she loosened the laces of her volleyball shoes.

Her brunette friend sat down beside her and sighed. "Whatever, Annie. If I can't doubt myself, then you can't doubt yourself starting outside this season," she stated firmly with a grin, causing Annabeth to flush.

Ever since she'd been in middle school, she'd been training to be a hitter. Every day working on her form, her footwork, her approach, her swing. She had been moved up to the varsity team as a freshman, and was their starting outside hitter by the end of that season. All Annabeth had ever known in her life was hard work, and when it paid off, it only made her want to work harder.

She tried to ignore her friend's comment as she slipped on her tennis shoes and her blue Goode sweatshirt. When she had finally finished throwing on everything, she glanced at her friend once more.

"You and Hazel are still coming over before the game, right?" she asked before they both looked over to where their younger friend was gathering up her things a couple yards away.

Hazel was a couple years younger than the captains, but was already a rather talented back row player for their team. They always went and hung out before the football games, which was an event that every single person in town attended. The bleachers were always a full sea of blue and white, and the cheers were deafening.

It was an energy that always gave Annabeth a rush of adrenaline. It reminded her of when her and her team made it to the state finals last season. The entire gym was packed with fans and a lot of people from home there to watch them. Of course, they had lost that game.

The final point that had ended the game haunted all of the returning varsity players who hadn't graduated. It's what drove them to compete this season.

But football was a much different energy altogether from volleyball, and Annabeth lived for it.

Hazel perked up when she heard her name, and raised her head to look at the two captains, giving a grin. "Hey, don't leave without me," the shorter girl laughed as she stood up, now dressed similarly to Annabeth in a hoodie and shorts. Piper finished up before they all headed out together to the blonde's car.

* * *

When they arrived at the field about fifteen minutes before the game was set to start, the bleachers were already packed with fans decked out in blue and white to root for the Goode Sharks in their opening game of the season against their rivals, the Central Titans. As the three girls walked in and found seats together near the front of the student section in the bleachers, they looked to the field where both teams were warming up.

That was about the time that Percy was getting thrown passes as he mimicked his position in some of their plays. Every kind of way he handled a football felt natural to him, whether it was catching, passing, or rushing. He had played football ever since he was a little kid, and he'd loved it ever since. Since it was his senior season and he was a team captain, he felt a certain pressure to perform well this season. He really hoped that he would deliver.

The clock for their warmup ticked down, and he felt a rather anxious feeling enter his stomach as he went to jog over and meet his team. He was decked out in his white number 15 jersey and his dark blue helmet with the outline of a shark on it. He fiddled nervously with the straps of his worn black gloves as their coach began to give them a final pre-game pep talk.

"Listen guys, this team we're playing? They won the state championship last year. They play nasty and they play scrappy. This," he said, gesturing off to the black-and-red-clad players finishing their warmup at the other half of the field, "is the hardest team you'll all play this season." He paced back and forth in front of them methodically, thinking to himself as if he was calculating the exact words that needed to leave his mouth.

Percy didn't know what the head coach could have actually said to make this better. Ever since his own freshman year and long before, the Central Titans had been their rivals. The game was always a sought-after time of the season, and everyone came knowing it was going to be an amazing game. Percy actually had some...history with some of the guys on the Titans team, and all he knew is that he had to crush them every time he saw them.

Y'know. For pride reasons.

"I know you can pull this out. Everyone in the damn town is here to watch every single one of you kick their asses," he continued, looking pointedly at Percy before his eyes shifted on to the rest of the somber team. "So do it. Get out there and do it. We've been working hard all summer for this!" As he continued to speak, he got louder and the players around him got more and more hyped up, cheering and clapping and smacking each other on their helmets.

Their coach went silent, and it took Percy a moment to realize the team was staring intently at him, waiting for their captain to speak. He coughed to clear his throat and gave everyone a big grin. "What are you looking at me for? Let's get out there and win!" he yelled before everyone cheered as loud as possible, the entire team rushing forward and accidentally crushing their coach between them.

"Let's go boys!" Jason yelled before they all cheered "SHARKS" at the top of their lungs before the clock on the scoreboard hit zero and the buzzer went off loudly. It was time to start.

* * *

For Percy, the game was a blur. Hitting people, getting hit, catching passes, running until he physically couldn't anymore. He ended up scoring a couple times, thanks to his almost psychic style of communication with Jason.

The blonde quarterback seemed to know Percy's intentions before he even began moving, and hit him with passes whenever possible.

By the end of the fourth, Percy was exhausted both physically and mentally. He hadn't really gone out the entire game, since his coach loved keeping him in for both defense and offense to play separate positions. What could he say? He was pretty fast.

They had the ball for what they hoped to make the final possession, and they were on the opposing team's 21 yard line with 15 seconds remaining in the quarter. The score was 32-35, with the Goode Sharks losing by a mere 3 points.

As they lined up to begin the next play, Jason gave Percy a knowing look through his face mask, which he responded to with a subtle nod. It was time for the play the two of them had been working on all summer. Their "finishing move" as Jason liked to call it.

After the ball was snapped, Percy took off in a flash, zipping around his defender and taking off down the field. He was well into the end zone when he finally saw the ball spiraling towards him. He reached out to catch it. He could almost taste victory. He vaguely heard the buzzer go off to signify the end of the quarter and the game, but it didn't matter. All he needed to do was catch the ball, and they would win.

The moment seemed to go in slow motion, the ball flying towards him, him leaping up to catch it, when all of a sudden he was knocked out of the air and slammed into the ground. The wind was knocked out of him, and all he could see was a guy in a stark black and red jersey above him, smirking from underneath his helmet, and the ball falling to the ground somewhere above his head.

He'd been flattened before he could catch the ball.

Immediately, the entire crowd erupted into angry shouts and jeers at the refs, who jogged to the middle of the field as if all was well. Even their coach and his own teammates were screaming at the refs, calling for pass interference. His coach threw down his headset and just yelled angrily, though the refs acted as if nothing had happened.

As Percy struggled to get up, the opposing player still on top of him shoved him back down, sneering. "Just remember," he said in a voice laced with arrogance and cruelty, "you'll never be able to beat us. No matter how hard you try. You're not good enough." With one last laugh, he got up, using Percy's helmet to push himself up. It shoved his head back against the ground before the Titans player jogged off to meet his team.

Percy sat up and rested his helmet against his knees. He hadn't been able to do it. They had lost.

Everyone watching the game simply stood there, stunned, as the victorious Titans left the field, jeering at the Sharks the whole way off.

Percy couldn't even stand up. All he could do was sit there and watch as everyone in their blue and white gear filed out of the bleachers. The student section headed down to meet the players and get pictures and everything before the boys headed to the locker room.

He saw a lone, scrawny guy in a white jersey and helmet coming towards him, and by his stature and the smile underneath his helmet he knew immediately it was their team's kicker, Leo Valdez.

The shorter boy came over and silently took a seat next to Percy, removing his helmet and settling it between his feet as they sat together and watched the fans file out.

"It's not your fault, Perce," he said eventually, glancing over at the halfback with a small sigh. "If anything, it's mine." Leo dropped his head and kicked at the grass in the end zone. "I missed that field goal in the third quarter. If I had made it, we would've tied..." He trailed off and shook his head slightly before he looked up at the halfback. "Just don't beat yourself up about it."

Percy just shook his head in response and removed his helmet as well, setting it in front of him on the grass. His dark hair had fallen into his eyes, but he didn't feel like moving it out of the way. "I still feel bad," he admitted with a shrug. "I should've caught that. If I had just run a bit faster, I could've gotten it before he took me down."

Leo gave his friend a look and shook his head, patting his shoulder. "Dude, it's not your fault," he assured with a small smile. "The refs didn't call anything on what definitely should've been pass interference. And plus? There's nothing you can do about that catch now. This game's over." He have Percy his signature crooked grin that made everyone feel a lot better, no matter what the situation was. "All you can do is gear up and get ready to kick ass in the next game."

The dark-haired captain gave his teammate a small smile before sighing and shaking his head. "Fair enough," he laughed and stood up, grabbing his helmet before Leo hopped up beside him and grinned. As they began their walk together across the field towards the exit, he jabbed Percy in the ribs.

"By the way, Jason invited us over to his place to hang out. Luke's home from college and wanted to meet up with us and some of the other guys."

Percy nodded in agreement as he glanced around quickly, taking in the lights and the field one last time before they exited and began to head to the locker room to join their coach and their team. "Sounds like fun, Leo."

He stayed silent for a moment before he gave the kicker a lopsided grin. "I bet Jason invited Piper over too, didn't he?"

"Well, shit. Of course he did."


	3. Chapter 3

After the disheartening loss that the Sharks had experienced to the Titans, the mood in the student section and the rest of the crowd was dismal, to say the least.

Piper insisted upon dragging both Annabeth and Hazel along to talk to Jason before he headed off to change. As soon as the quarterback was in sight, the brunette was off in a flash to go meet him, causing her friends to simply laugh and hang back to wait.

When the two finished talking and Piper walked back over to join her friends, she had the biggest, most lovestruck smile either of them had ever seen on her face.

"He wants us all to come over to his place!" she said excitedly, holding back a squeal of excitement. "We have to go!" Hazel and Annabeth exchanged a look before shrugging.

What's the worst that could happen? The blonde thought to herself as they all walked out to the parking lot together.

They all got into Piper's car, which might've been the nicest thing Annabeth had ever been in. Her dad was one of the most famous actors in Hollywood and her mom was one of the most well-known models in the fashion industry, but you'd never really know it looking at Piper. She usually wore minimal makeup and typical clothes usually including jeans, sweaters, hoodies, and her favorite old ski jacket. She still always looked gorgeous, which Annabeth simply assumed was due to genetics.

Probably, anyway.

As for her own parents, her dad was a professor of military history at a university, and her mom was an architect. She never saw much of her mother, though, but that's a story for another time.

Neither Annabeth nor Piper knew much about Hazel's parents, since she didn't talk much about them. The only thing they could piece together was that her dad left her and her mom when she was very young.

Enough of that tangent, though.

The trio all climbed into Piper's car, and Annabeth was about to ask for directions to Jason's house when the brunette cut her off with a grin. "I know the place. I've already been there a couple times."

Annabeth scratched her head in confusion and winced. "Ah...a couple times? You two just started talking a week ago." Piper snickered to herself as she pulled out of the parking lot.

"I know."

* * *

When Piper pulled up into what she claimed to be Jason's driveway, her friends were taken aback. The place was huge. Like, close to mansion-sized.

In front of the car stood a three-story, white house with big columns out and elegantly trimmed bushes and flower gardens scattered meticulously around the front of the house. Vines crept up the walls of the house and a few could even be seen curling around the massive columns.

Piper had previously mentioned that Jason's mother was an actress and his father was a big business tycoon, but she didn't think that this was what the product would look like.

"Wow..." Hazel breathed, snapping Annabeth back into reality as she parked in front of the massive garage off to the side. She could only imagine what kinds of cars his parents drove. As they all climbed out and made their way towards the front door, Piper was walking a bit faster than the rest of them, eager to see Jason.

Annabeth and Hazel walked along together behind their crushing brunette friend, making comments to one another about how gorgeous the house was. They got to the door and Piper knocked, clasping her hands together in front of her. They heard some voices from the other side, mainly one yelling that they were coming to the door.

When it swung open, it was the blonde quarterback himself, a bright smile on his face as he saw them. "Hey, guys," he said before he held open the door and beckoned then inside, his eyes lingering on Piper as he grinned. Annabeth had to chuckle as she walked past him. Those two getting together was long overdue.

As she stepped through the doorway and looked around, she was even more amazed by the inside of the house than she was the outside. The inside of the house was warm and inviting, and exquisitely decorated with plush leather couches and armchairs. She could see a large, modern-looking kitchen through a doorway on the left and some other hallways leading further back into the house.

In the living room, she could see a handful of people already there.

Of course Leo Valdez and Percy Jackson were there, since they were all best friends. Frank Zhang, another football player, was also there, seated on the couch with the rest of the guys, restlessly tapping his finger on the top of a can of soda. She could vaguely see Drew and Silena in the kitchen, talking and laughing as they stood closely together.

As she continued to look around, Annabeth got tunnel vision when she saw a head full of sandy blonde hair and the brightest blue eyes she'd ever seen.

Luke.

She ran over, the biggest smile on her face, and threw her arms around him. She was greeted with his signature bright grin and a laugh as he threw his arms around her, lifting her up into the air as they hugged. "Hey there, Beth," he mumbled in a soft voice as she buried her face into his shoulder, that stupid, stupid smile still covering her face.

When they finally did separate, her hands stayed resting against his chest and his on her waist. "I thought you weren't coming until tomorrow!" she said breathlessly, trying not to feel flustered as her fingers pressed up against the toned muscles of his chest that she could feel even over top of his shirt.

He cracked that charming smile that she'd fallen for the first time she had ever seen it, and shrugged his shoulders. "I wanted to surprise you."

It took Annabeth several moments to realize that the conversations around them had dimmed and that everyone's eyes were on her, glimmering with either amusement or something that resembled discomfort. She slowly backed away from him, hesitating before she took his hand and pulled him over to sit with her on the couch.

This night had gotten infinitely more enjoyable.

* * *

It was a Friday night, a night typically home to lots of alcohol, sex, and regret, though Percy was spending it sitting on the floor with Frank and Leo weighing the merits of their favorite NFL players and drinking ungodly amounts of soda.

Well, Leo was anyway. The kid already had ADHD, and now he was hyped up off of four cans of Mountain Dew as well as the adrenaline from the game. He'd ranked the entire Giant's defensive line from best to worst before Percy and Frank had even brought up the team.

Well, in Percy's own personal ranking of Friday night adventures, this one wasn't so bad. It sure as hell beat doing homework, or even getting completely trashed at a normal party anyone on their team or the cheerleading squad would have thrown. Not that Percy drank anyway.

Yep, he was content just sitting there debating quarterbacks with his teammates. As Frank and Leo argued about what New York team would do the worst this upcoming season, Percy's gaze shifted around the spacious living room to the other people that were there.

Of course, Jason and Piper were seated side-by-side on the love seat, trying to make it seem as if their thighs and shoulders weren't touching and they weren't looking at one another. Yeah, both of those were obviously wrong.

On the other side of the living room there was a large wraparound couch. On one side sat Hazel, Silena, and Drew discussing makeup. Well, it was more of the latter two discussing it all while Hazel looked rather confused and tried to understand the majority of the terms.

On the other side sat Luke, with Annabeth perched almost on his lap. Mostly on his lap. Percy couldn't help but get a gross feeling inside as he glanced over the two, trying not to have that sour of an expression on his face.

Luke had been somewhat of a golden boy at Goode before he'd graduated. Captain of the football and baseball teams, homecoming king, all of that stereotypical stuff you'd expect from any high school's own personal Prince Charming. Obviously, he and Percy had played football together. He was nice and all, to be honest. Percy liked him, but not an overly large amount.

Annabeth, on the other hand, was the kind of popular girl everyone loved. Not only was she incredible at volleyball, but she was wicked smart. She wasn't cocky about any of it, either. He must've been staring for too long, because he noticed both halves of the couple looking in his direction, Luke with more of a poker face while Annabeth just had kind of a confused smile.

Percy's cheeks burned in embarrassment as he offered a sheepish smile before standing. "Leo, do you need more Mountain Dew?" he asked as he brushed off his clothes. The curly-haired boy simply waved a hand in dismissal as Percy walked off to the empty kitchen.

As he did, he was kicking himself. He felt a lot more flustered than he should have at getting caught staring. Why did he care anyway?

He walked to the refrigerator and swung the door open, hunching over to rifle around for some soda. He had just spotted some neon green cans behind the milk jug when he heard light footsteps enter the kitchen.

"Hey, mind grabbing me one of those too?" It was none other than Annabeth herself, giving him a bit of a smile as she showed him an empty soda can in her fingers before setting it down on the counter.

Her eyes were the best shade of grey the runningback had ever seen. It always made her seem as if her mind was running a thousand miles an hour. "Hey, Percy."

He managed a bit of a smile as he nodded at her request before he hunched over again to dig the cans out. "Hey, Annabeth." There was an uncomfortable moment of silence between the two before the dark-haired runningback resurfaced from the fridge with two sodas held in his free hand. He closed the door before offering her one of them, giving her a sheepish smile.

She uttered a quiet thanks and took the can from him before tucking some hair behind her ear. "It's not your fault, you know," she said with a shrug before popping the top of the can and taking a sip.

He gave her a kind of confused look as he restlessly tapped the top of his Mountain Dew. "The game," she clarified with a small smile. "I mean...you played amazing tonight. You can't blame yourself for one bad call, you know?" He nodded absentmindedly at her words but he knew that they'd never make him feel any better. "Yeah, I guess so. I'll be fine."

This was a lie, of course, not that he'd admit that to himself. She seemed to know that, though. "We're a lot alike, honestly," she said with a smile. "We take losses personally. Like...you remember states for volleyball last year."

He sure as hell did remember. He went to watch Jason's sister Thalia play. She'd graduated last year, so it was her senior season. She insisted that her "favorite cousin named Percy" needed to attend her final game, so he did. The championship game ended in the fourth set when one of Annabeth's hits went slightly outside of the boundary lines.

The second the line judge at the corner gave her a solemn look and signified the ball was out, she fell to her knees. She was crushed.

It took two of her teammates lifting her to her feet for her to even go shake hands with the victorious team. The only thing Percy did remember very clearly about that game was when the winners were getting pictures taken with the trophy, and Annabeth was seated alone on her team's bench.

He had gone over to sit beside her and gave her one of those small travel packs of tissues.

It was one of those ones for kids that had little pictures of fish and sharks and seaweed and stuff on them. She'd teased him about it through her tears, but he'd simply shrugged it off and sat beside her while she cried into his shoulder.

The pair had never been close beyond going to summer camp together as kids, but they both had a common feeling of pressure with their positions on their respective teams.

It made them feel connected in some weird way.

He nodded in agreement with her statement, sighing a little as he popped the top of his soda before taking a sip. "We really are the same," he said with a soft laugh. "Really though, I hope you still don't tell the story about my fish tissues."

She cracked a smile as she gave him a nonchalant shrug, sipping her Mountain Dew with a sparkle lighting up her stormy grey eyes. "As a matter of fact, that's what we were just talking about back in the living room when you walked off," she teased with a big smile before her gaze became a bit more serious and she gently touched her hand to his forearm.

She still had a kind smile on her face, and he tried to focus on that instead of how her touch on his arm made his skin light up like he'd been struck with lightning. "Don't worry about that game, though. It'll all turn out fine. You have the rest of the season to focus on.

He didn't want to feel better about his shitty performance, but somehow her words made him feel a bit better. Well, they did for a moment at least. Until Luke walked into the kitchen and gave Percy somewhat of a confused, reserved look as he saw them standing so close together with Annabeth's hand resting against his arm.

His furrowed brow disappeared as the blonde girl turned and saw him approaching, both of them breaking out into immediate bright smiles. "Hey, babe. Ready to get going?" Luke asked as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her towards him, away from Percy. "You're still coming over, right?" Her expression immediately brightened as she tucked herself up against his chest, leaning up to press a kiss to his jaw. "Yeah, of course!"

As they both leaned in to kiss one another, Percy realized he'd never felt more uncomfortable. He cleared his throat a little and would've debated walking out to rejoin his friends in the living room if the couple hadn't been standing directly in front of the doorway.

As they separated, Annabeth grinned happily. "Just let me go say goodbye to Piper and Hazel and we can head out." As she moved out of his arms, she turned to Percy and gave him a quick hug. "Take it easy tonight, fish-face. You'll have other games to kick ass in," she said to him through a soft laugh.

He was so surprised he couldn't even hug her back or come up with a witty comeback before she had pulled away and went out to say goodbye to everyone.

Percy wanted to say he'd never had a real problem with Luke, but being in a room alone with him after he'd just hugged and a private conversation with his girlfriend definitely wasn't something he didn't want to do. He went to excuse himself and walk out of the kitchen, but was stopped with a hand gently coming to grip his shoulder. "Not so fast there, Percy," the blonde said through a soft laugh. "We haven't gotten to talk yet!"

As the runningback turned to look at Luke, he felt nervous. He wouldn't try to do anything here, would he? Was he mad that Percy had hugged his girlfriend or that they'd been alone together in the kitchen? He definitely didn't look as annoyed as he could've...he just looked kind of conflicted. As if even he didn't know how he should feel about what had just happened.

"How's football been going, Perce? I wanted to come to the game tonight, but I had a late class." His brow furrowed and he shrugged, though he broke into a smile immediately after. "I miss all the guys. It's really nice seeing the gang all here, y'know?"

Percy responded with a simple nod, giving the blonde a sheepish smile. "Yeah, I gotcha," he laughed before taking a long sip from his can of Mountain Dew. Why wasn't this awkward? If their positions were reversed, Percy would feel so awkward.

But Luke seemed perfectly fine and dandy. Well...not that that's a bad thing, anyway.

"Well, tonight was our first game, against the Titans. We lost though." Percy's brow furrowed as he recalled the game, and gave a soft sigh. Luke hadn't even been there, but he gained a sour expression as well. He knew as well as anyone about the rivalry between the Sharks and the Titans.

Percy told him the story, about how they ran their final play and Percy had gotten brought down before he could even touch the ball, and how the refs had turned a blind eye. The blonde seemed rather invested in his story, and when he finished, he had the biggest scowl on his face. "God, that's some shit," Luke muttered before he rolled his eyes as he patted his shoulder. "Well, just get them next time. That's all you can do."

Percy knew Luke understood. The two of them weren't that different after all, with their team captain positions and the pressure to do well. "You're right. Thanks man." The two exchanged smiles before Annabeth walked back into the kitchen again. Luke turned to her and his expression brightened completely. "Hey, babe. Let's get out of here."

Before they turned to leave, they both looked at Percy and smiled. "See you around, Perce," Luke said with a grin before he led his girlfriend out of the kitchen and towards the front door. As he heard the chorus of goodbyes from everyone in the living room, Percy found himself letting out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding in.

As much as he wanted to dislike Luke, he couldn't bring himself to. He was a great guy. And honestly? He might have been a little jealous of him. Everything always came so easily to him. Football, school, his social life, and even his girlfriend...

It's not like he was into her or anything. But it didn't hurt that she was kind of cute and athletic and smart and that her smile or her laugh made Percy feel like he was trying to breathe underwater and that he could just lose himself in those grey eyes of hers and...oh.

The realization hit him as he stood there alone in Jason's kitchen, his fingers wrapped around the slightly cool can of Mountain Dew. "No way I'm into her," he muttered to himself. "I can't be."

Even though he wanted to believe himself, he knew that it was just one of many lies he had told himself that night.


	4. Chapter 4

While going to Jason's house after the game and hanging out had been fun, Annabeth was beyond grateful to have some time alone with Luke.

He pulled her against him as they walked to his car, and she felt happy and content. She tucked up against his side, and was so close she could faintly recognize the scent of the deodorant he always wore. They only parted once they reached the car, and she eagerly hopped into the passenger side.

She had a lot of good memories of her and Luke in that car. Late night drives listening to music and talking about anything and everything that came to mind, going on dates to the old drive-in theater over the summer, road trips to the beach and the fair with their friends...the list went on and on.

As he climbed in and started up the car, some music started playing softly on the radio. Luke pulled out and started driving off towards his place before he reached over and slipped his hand into Annabeth's, causing her to grin like an idiot.

He had that effect on her...he always had.

They began to talk about anything they could think of. They discussed Luke's classes and his roommates at college (apparently one consistently tried dealing pot out of their dorm room) while Annabeth talked about her own school misadventures, though mainly about volleyball.

He glanced down at her and gave her a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it to any of your games this week, babe," he apologized with a shrug. "I have to head back upstate on Sunday. I have an early class on Monday, so..." He trailed off and groaned. "I've been so excited to see you play."

She gave him a smile and shrugged her shoulders, squeezing his hand. "Hey, don't worry about it. We have a few tournaments on weekends you could come to!"

She always loved when Luke came to her games. After it was over, he'd give her the brightest smile and a big bear hug, talking about how proud he was of her. They'd had a tradition last year of taking a picture together after every game, and it killed her that she couldn't do it again these past years since he was in school.

He nodded instantly at her suggestion and grinned. "Of course!" he laughed. "I can't wait." They both grew quiet for a moment, and she could feel his fingers gently tighten around her own. "Uh...I do have a question though," he said unsurely.

That's how she knew it was bugging him...he was never unsure of himself.

She trained her eyes on his, watching his profile as he concentrated on the road. It was late, and therefore dark out. The only light available was the lights cast from the radio and the instrument panel and the occasional streetlight that turned his features a dim shade of orange. "What is it?" she found her voice as she saw him bite his lip, practically seeing his gears turning as he considered what to say.

"I don't...have anything to worry about with Percy, do I?"

His voice was quiet in a way Annabeth had never heard of before, and she found her grip on his hand tightening a bit as a form of reassurance. "Oh, Luke..." she said in a soft voice before it trailed into a sigh. "Of course you don't." She let her gaze drift down to their intertwined fingers, his hand so much bigger and tougher than her own.

"We're just friends and nothing more. I'm all yours, don't worry." As her eyes trailed back up to his face, she could see the hints of a smile forming on his lips. "Good," he said with a grin as he came to a gentle stop at a red light.

Just as he stopped, he let go of the wheel and turned to her, taking her face gently into his free hand and pressing a soft kiss to her lips, causing her to immediately relax and close her eyes.

They'd kissed so many times before, but all she could focus on was how soft his lips felt, and how her cheek fit so nicely against the palm of his hand, and how his lips tasted like minty chapstick.

When he pulled away, she knew her face was red and she had the most stupid smile on her face. Her eyes opened and she was greeted by his bright blue ones, visible and clear even in the dim light of the car, as well as his bright, handsome smile she'd fallen in love with. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the bright green portion of the light glaring at them from above.

Neither of them seemed to care as they leaned in for another kiss.

* * *

Fast forward a few days later to a Wednesday that happened to be one of Annabeth's favorite times: game day. Every game day had its own excitement and perks, but home games had always been her absolute favorite. A gym full of blue and white Shark fans, the home-court advantage, and the feeling of making your home town proud.

They were in the the final set of the game, and every single part of Annabeth felt on edge and on high alert as she shifted eagerly back and forth the balls of her feet. She had been watching the team on the other side of the net set up the ball, latching onto every single movement and call to one another the opposing girls made.

As one girl set up the middle hitter, Annabeth let her instincts take over as she leapt up, her arms outstretched to try and block the hit. Looking back on them, she'd always say those moments went by in slow motion. Straining to get as high as possible, positioning her hands and splaying her fingers at the correct time to maximize the area she covered, even the way she gritted her teeth as firmly as possible.

On this particular attempt, her timing and location was right on and the ball met her hands, bouncing right back down at the unprepared girls where it struck the court with a thump and went bouncing away. The blonde hitter was greeted by the loud, resounding tweet of the whistle and plenty of cheers from the stands as the block marked the 25th point for the Goode Sharks.

Since they'd won both of the first sets, it also marked their win over the visiting Bay Area Wolves. They went to shake hands with the other team before they all gathered into the center of the court, cheering happily as they celebrated their sixth straight win of the season.

"Great job, ladies!" their coach said, trying to remain composed, even though her players saw the big grin threatening to overtake her face. "Alright, let's keep this momentum going through this week and take it all the way to states!" They all whooped loudly, letting out one last "SHARKS" cheer before they dispersed to meet up with their friends and families.

Since Luke had gone home the night before, and her dad and step-mother were both occupied at her brothers' soccer game, none of them could make it. Piper immediately ran over to see Jason, who'd come with some of his friends to fill out the Goode student section. Even Hazel had her older brother Nico that she headed over to after the end of the game, both of them smiling as they talked.

Annabeth? She really didn't have anyone.

After the game concluded, she simply headed off towards the locker room. She was stopped here and there by students or her teammates' parents, all telling her how good she did that night. She smiled and thanked them, though all she wanted to do was change out of her sweaty uniform and get home. She was almost to the locker room doors when someone behind her tapped her arm to get her attention.

"Uh, hey, Annabeth."

She turned around to see none other than Percy Jackson hanging back behind her, giving her lopsided smile. While the blonde would never swoon over him like other girls did, she could appreciate that he was attractive with his windswept black hair and those sea green eyes of his.

He was dressed in a pair of faded jeans and some black tennis shoes with a blue Goode sharks hoodie, and he was all smiles. "You did amazing," he praised her through a laugh. "Like when you hit the ball so hard at that girl that she fell over? That was badass."

Annabeth managed a smile for what felt like the millionth time that night as she shrugged her shoulders, a small laugh escaping her lips. "Thanks, Percy," she said genuinely as she gave him a nod. "It means a lot." He gave her that smile and shrugged his shoulders, brushing his fingers through his hair to push it back from his forehead.

His lips parted and by the look in his eyes it appeared as if he wanted to say something else. A moment later it appeared that he decided against it as he closed his mouth again and gave her a nod. "No problem." He reached out to pat her arm before he turned to leave, his hands tucked into the pockets of his hoodie.

He glanced over his shoulder, his signature lopsided smile gracing his lips. "Have a good night, Annabeth." He walked off again, presumably to rejoin Jason and his other teammates that had come to the game.

She didn't know if she should find him talking to her weird or not. They'd rarely talked before beyond during class about English homework or what was for lunch that day in the cafeteria. Maybe it was because of Piper and Jason, like he felt some kind of pressure to talk to her because their best friends were dating. That was probably it, right?

She turned on her heel and walked into the quiet locker room, still deep in thought. As she sat down on a bench beside her black duffel bag, she began to unlace her volleyball shoes.

It's not like it was a problem, the two of them becoming friends. She'd always liked Percy. He was respectful and obviously a hard worker, and she liked those qualities in her friends. But it confused her nonetheless. He was obviously putting in effort to become friends with her, and she didn't mind it.

She stuffed her shoes into her bag and slipped on a baggy pair of sweatpants over her black spandex before she tugged off her white long-sleeved jersey, tossing it into her bag as well.

She always felt so sweaty and grimy after games. She worked hard, and it showed. But it also meant that in every post-game picture, she looked disgusting. Athlete problems, she thought to herself with a grin as she slipped on a clean t-shirt and a light jacket. She threw on her favorite white Crocs and grabbed her keys and her bag before she stood up to head back out to the gym.

After games, she always felt so shaky and full of

adrenaline. But the walk back to a quiet locker room always helped clear her head and relax her. She'd found herself making this walk more and more as of late. While all her teammates were talking to their families and their boyfriends, she left early.

She never had anyone there to specifically see her. She snorted slightly at the thought and rolled her eyes to herself. You're acting really emo right now,she thought to herself with a shake of her head as she pushed the locker room door open and headed back out to the gym.

Nonetheless, it was really nice of Percy to talk to her after the game. She enjoyed actually speaking to someone like that. She grinned at everyone as she walked through the gym and said goodbye to some of her teammates and their families when she passed them.

As she pushed open the gym door and the cool fall air hit her in the face, she let out a soft sigh.

Hey, maybe she did have someone there to support her that night. It's just not anyone she would have actually suspected.


	5. Chapter 5

There were only a handful of things Percy enjoyed less than calculus with Ms. Dodds.

Those few things included running sprints until he threw up, that time he fell off a trampoline when he was a kid and snapped his ankle, and the idea of going vegan. And even then it was so close it was almost a tie.

He could barely focus on the lessons she taught because he was so caught up on how gross her gnarled fingers and her stringy hair looked. Instead of focusing on derivatives or integrals or whatever she kept lecturing about, he often found himself staring out the window or up at the clock above the door and daydreaming.

He thought about football, his weekend plans, and anything else that popped into his head. The only thing that ever really brought him out of his daze was the bell ringing, the sound of his classmates' books shutting, or whenever Dodds ran over and stood beside his desk with her thin arms folded over her chest, which happened rather often.

"Mr. Jackson," he vaguely heard, before he finally raised his eyes from the window to meet Ms. Dodd's angry, beady ones.

What a perfect example.

He jumped a bit at seeing her so close, and he faintly heard everyone snickering under their breath. He made a disgruntled noise and gave her as much of a sincere smile as he could manage. "Uh, yeah?"

She got this smirk on her face that she got only when she knew a student was screwed over. "If you could explain your answer to number ten for us," she said with a grin. He hesitated and flipped through his notebook, searching for the answer.

Truthfully, he hadn't done last night's homework, and he didn't plan to. He got decent grades and felt no need to study things he already knew pretty well. Dodds didn't collect the homework for points anyway.

As said teacher hovered over him like a vulture waiting to devour some helpless roadkill, someone from the other side of the room piped up. "Ma'am, he probably just doesn't have his work because we worked on the assignment together."

He peered behind Dodds to see none other than Annabeth Chase herself giving their calculus teacher a sheepish smile while she held up her notebook and the homework, all done in her neat handwriting. "We did the work together on my paper. It's all right here."

When Dodds gave Percy a suspicious glare, he simply nodded in agreement, offering a sheepish smile. "Yeah, we did. I just thought it was unnecessary for us both to have a copy of the work."

She scowled but it didn't remain on her face for long. She loved Annabeth. Everyone did.

She gave a begrudging nod and continued onto the next problem, looking around to find some other poor soul to try and catch off guard. As she walked away, Percy let out a breath and glanced over to Annabeth, trying to catch her eye.

He wanted to thank her for saving his ass, but she just never ended up looking over. The rest of the class period for Percy was spent between ignoring Dodds and stealing glances at the his own personal savior.

When the bell rang, he hurriedly stuffed his books into his faded blue backpack before he walked to meet her before she left. She was hunched over her desk gathering up all the things scattered across it when he got her attention by gently touching his fingertips to her shoulder.

She raised her head and gave him a small smile, her grey eyes dark and gorgeous as always. "Hey, uh, not that I'm complaining, but why'd you do that?" he asked curiously as he looked into her eyes, giving her a sheepish smile.

She shrugged and laughed as she finished gathering up her things, slinging her backpack across her shoulders. "Unlike Dodds, I don't take pleasure in watching people fail."

The two of them began to walk out together, falling into pace side by side. "If you were one of those kids who talked through every lecture and didn't know how to spell calculus, I don't think I would've helped," she admitted with a shrug. "But I know you know what you're doing. It's not fair of her to do that to you."

He simply listened to her reasoning, feeling more thankful with each passing sentence. They walked in a comfortable silence for a few seconds before he cracked a smile and glanced over at her.

"Thanks, Annabeth. It means a lot," he laughed softly as he played with his fingers. "And, uh...maybe we could study together sometime. Y'know. Just so we aren't lying to her or anything."

He tried his hardest to seem playful and nonchalant, though he felt kind of panicked. There's no reason he should've felt that jittery. She took a few moments to respond, and Percy simply waited for her impending rejection.

"You know, I think that'd be great," she said with a smile. "Calculus is pretty difficult. It'd be nice to go over homework and study with someone else in the class that isn't an idiot." She broke into a laugh, and he grinned, thrilled at her response. "Yeah, of course. That sounds awesome," he chuckled, feeling as if a big weight had been hoisted off of his shoulders.

They reached a row of lockers, and Annabeth slowed at what he could only assume was hers. "Well, just text me and let me know," she said with a warm smile. "See you around, fish-face."

He snorted and rolled his eyes at her, walking away with a stupid smile on his face.

* * *

Daily three hour practices really exhausted Percy and his teammates. Conditioning, drills, weightlifting, sprints, and running plays for hours on end was hard on them. Though if anyone complained, even as a mutter under their breath, one of their assistant coaches responsible for their training would throw a football at their head.

Good old Coach Hedge.

They often went around as smaller groups to practice, one group doing lifting, one group running plays, one group doing speed drills, all that stuff. Percy's group - which consisted of himself, Jason, Frank, and a handful of other guys that made of their first string offensive group - was headed inside to lift after a hard session of speed and agility drills.

Now, running and sprinting for an hour in heavy padding and a helmet in the hot sun made lifting feel like a dream come true.

Everyone around him had stripped off their padding and helmets and was carrying it in their hands on their way inside, laughing and joking around about who had fallen during the drills and reliving highlights from the game they'd played last week against the Titans.

Percy laughed when appropriate but stayed quiet the rest of the time, already thinking about their game the next day against the Redwood Raiders. They were a scrappy team that he had played in football since elementary school, though his team had always won anyway.

The Raiders weren't actually very good, so he had an opportunity to go as hard as he could and see what he could do without much opposition.

He was dragged out of his train of thought by Jason laughing and slapping his back, pushing him inside the school through the double-doors that hooked onto the gym. "C'mon, Perce. Time to lift."

The dark-haired teen gave his friend a playfully grim smile as he nodded. "Yay us."

Jason cracked a bright, playful grin as he slapped Percy's side. "Hey, careful there with the enthusiasm. Hedge might have to come beat it out of you."

They all laughed as they made their way inside. One of the other runningbacks, a quick, lithe guy named Malcolm, cleared his throat before doing a near-perfect imitation of Coach Hedge. "You little girls stop your damn whining! If you don't shut your mouths I'm going to make you do burpees until you throw up!"

Everyone snorted with laughter as they began to head through the gym towards the weight room, all of them doing their best impressions of their assistant coach. They couldn't help but notice that the girls' volleyball team was still hard at work, running drills and scrimmaging one another.

Percy saw a sweaty and tired Annabeth approach the net with an angry, hungry look in her eyes as she hit the ball, sending it straight down into the court. The girls on the receiving end seemed too afraid to make a move for it, and her teammates on her side all cheered happily.

The glare was gone, and she was all smiles as she got back into position. "Hey, Piper!" Jason called with a wave, making the brunette girl blush and wave back sheepishly.

"Hey, no flirting at practice!" her coach called out to her setter, giving Jason a bit of a restrained glare as everyone around both sides of the couple began to laugh. Even their coach managed a bit of a smile.

Jason just shrugged with a grin as they all made their way to the doors on the other side of the gym, though Percy was still stealing glances at the blonde hitter.

They were waiting for their coach to give them some tips, and the pair made eye contact. After a quick second, he saw Annabeth smile and give a bit of a nonchalant wave before she turned back to the net, ready to play. Percy felt himself smile a bit as he headed out of the gym and down the hall towards the weight room.

Luke was one lucky guy. She was honestly kind of a badass.

* * *

Annabeth was eternally grateful to have Friday off school. It was for some kind of teacher work day, which - no matter how stupid of a reason - she was happy about. She had been planning to spend the day in her room watching Netflix, sleeping, and talking to Luke.

She texted him a few times, but he didn't really answer. He must have been busy. It was a bit hard sometimes when they couldn't talk, but they made it through those rough patches.

For the most part anyway.

She had been sitting there on her phone waiting and hoping for Luke to answer her texts when Piper asked her and Hazel to go to the mall for a bit, she agreed. She'd rather be out with her friends and focused on something else anyway.

So, she got dressed in some decent-looking clothes and waited downstairs for Piper to come pick her up. Her dad was at work, and her step-mother and brothers were doing something or other with their family that Annabeth wasn't related to, so the house was quiet and calm.

What a first.

She waited inside until she saw Piper's car pull into the driveway, and she ran out, though she was surprised to see Jason in the passenger seat and a couple more extra people seated in the back. Percy and Frank in the last row, and Hazel by herself in the middle.

Both of her friends had sheepish smiles on their faces, and Annabeth knew she had been making a face. She climbed into the backseat beside Hazel, glancing curiously back at the boys seated behind them before her eyes came to Piper, who was pulling out of the driveway so suddenly Annabeth was sure that it was so she couldn't jump back out.

"Sorry, Beth. I should've told you the boys were coming with us." The blonde shrugged to herself and gave Hazel a smile in greeting. "Don't worry about it. The more the merrier, right?" Piper gave her the biggest smile before she turned to take Jason's hand and continued driving.

It's not like she had a problem with the boys coming, but she wished she would've known beforehand so she could have dressed in something other than a t-shirt and a jacket with some blue jeans.

As she settled into her seat beside Hazel, she could vaguely hear Percy and Frank's hushed conversation going on behind them.

It was something about Frank growing a pair and just doing...something. She didn't want to listen in, though, so she turned to Hazel and struck up a conversation about a reality TV show they both watched.

Hazel went on a tangent about how stupid one guy's decision was, and Annabeth just listened and threw in her thoughts whenever it was necessary. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad.

At least she was out with some people she genuinely liked, right?

* * *

She was starting to realize a trend. Every time she asked herself "How bad could it be?" it turned out to be pretty bad.

Like the party with the closet incident, or that time she went canoeing with her little brothers and herself in one boat and her parents in the other. Basically, they flipped the entire canoe into the river and Annabeth had to swim the rest of the way in her jeans.

Well, maybe this situation was a bit better, but it still wasn't ideal.

The blonde understood and appreciated that Piper and Jason were hitting it off really well, but to drag her along on some kind of crazy group date and then leave to go off with her boyfriend was kind of a dick move.

She knew she couldn't stay mad at her friend, and that the second the brunette came back she'd invite Annabeth over to binge Grey's Anatomy and eat popcorn and she'd be forgiven in the blink of an eye, but still. It was rough.

Basically, the group had come into the mall and walked around together for a bit. Then Jason asked Piper to come with him to buy out a video game that had just come out. Percy tagged along, their dismay, and Annabeth was left with Frank and Hazel.

She loved Hazel to death, and Frank had always reminded her of a big teddy bear, so she was fine with it. Then Hazel suggested that they go check out a new coffee place that had just opened up.

Annabeth heard the tone in her voice, and decided to leave the pair to give them some alone time.

She was fine with it, honestly. She and Piper had always said that the two would make a cute couple.

So, she let them go off and was left on her own.

She wandered around the mall absentmindedly, fiddling with the zipper of her jacket, until she came across a sporting goods store. She smiled a little to herself as she headed in, already hearing Piper making fun of her for always thinking about volleyball.

Honestly, her brunette friend was right.

She looked through some overpriced spandex and sweatpants before she decided to go look for some new knee pads. Hers were from last season and they were about ripped to shreds.

When she came to the aisle, the shelves stocked with various kinds of sports equipment, she found Percy picking through the football gloves, a bored expression on his face.

When he recognized her walk down, he glanced over and grinned a bit. "Hey there. Got tired of the awkward group date?" he asked with a laugh as he replaced a pair of gloves to the shelf. She nodded with a grin and located the volleyball knee pads a couple feet to the runningback's left.

"Honestly, I did. Kind of. After you three left, Hazel and Frank wanted to go off and get coffee. I wanted to let them have a nice little date on their own, so I just wandered around by myself," Annabeth explained with a slight shrug as she examined the various packages to try and find the right brand and color.

She heard him laugh a little bit as he rustled through some more gloves. "Yeah, it took me a good few minutes to realize that Piper and Jason wanted some alone time. After we checked out the game store, I just said I had to go look at some football stuff." He picked through a couple packs with a smile. "God, even after getting dragged out on a group date, you have to love them," he joked with a grin.

She didn't even have to look to be able to know he had a big, pearly white smile on his face. She could hear it in his voice. She nodded in agreement and smiled as she shuffled around some packages. "Really though."

She momentarily stopped her search to glance over at him, seeing him looking between a pair of crisp white gloves with a black logo, or a pair of bright blue gloves with a white logo. She debated for a moment before she took a step towards him and tapped the package with the blue gloves.

"Those would look great with your uniform," she said with a smile. "That's, like, the perfect shade of Shark blue."

They both laughed as she stepped back to try and locate the correct kneepads. She'd found the right color and brand, but not the size. "They really are," he said with a bit of a grin before he hesitantly sighed and put both pairs back. "Wish I had that money lying around," he joked with a grin.

Despite his smile, she could hear the regret in his voice as he set them back. Before she could say anything, he looked down at her and smiled. "I should probably get a job, but the last place I worked was at that ice cream place in town."

Her eyes lightened up as she turned to him, laughing. "God, I remember that! I came in there one time with Thalia and Piper last summer. You broke, like, three cones." He gave her a sheepish shrug and a smile, stifling laughter.

"I never said I was good at what I did," he assured her before they both broke into big grins.

She turned back to the shelf, that smile still on her face, and shook her head to herself. He must have seen her looking around through all the kneepads the entire time she'd been in the aisle, and he leaned over to reach up and grab a pack off the top shelf.

"Are you a medium?" he asked as he handed it to her, before his face went slack. "Shit, I probably wasn't supposed to say that, right?"

All she could do was laugh as she patted his back. "Don't worry, you're right. I'm a medium. I just couldn't see the pack from up there." He nodded and shrugged a little to himself, biting his lip to stifle a smile.

"Just be glad I'm tall, Chase, or else you would've been here for an hour."

They both heard a ringing noise sound from Percy's phone, and he sighed as he grabbed it. He checked it momentarily before chuckling. "The lovebirds are ready to head out," he said as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. "I'll run and tell 'em to wait for you while you pay. Hurry up though, alright?" he joked and gave her a grin before he stepped around her and headed out of the store.

She stood there for another moment before her eyes came to rest on the blue gloves he'd been looking at, and she just smiled to herself.


	6. Chapter 6

It was about two weeks or so after the triple date fiasco at the mall, and there Percy was, seated across from the blonde herself while she ranted about anything and everything that was on her mind.

Recently, he and Annabeth had started studying calculus together a few times a week. And, honestly? It was fun. How someone made math fun, he had no idea. But he was passing with a solid B+, and he got to hang out with one of the most amazing girls he went to school with.

Even if he had to suffer through some derivative work, it was alright.

So, they went over to the blonde's house after their practices and sat in the kitchen, working through math problems together in their books and on their worksheets.

Plus, Percy had gotten to meet Annabeth's family, which was cool. Her dad was a really interesting guy. He was a professor of military history at a nearby university, and he had the coolest personal collection of World War II relics in his office. Annabeth acted as if he was the most embarrassing man on the face of the planet, but Percy thought he was awesome.

Not only did he meet her dad, but her brothers as well. Well, more specifically they were her twelve-year-old stepbrothers, Bobby and Matthew. Percy had to focus extra hard to try and remember who was who. When he did forget though (and that happened quite often) he just called them buddy, or bro, or man or something.

Y'know. Normal stuff you call kids.

They were hyper, identical twins who thought Percy was the coolest thing ever because he played football and video games. So, sometimes when they were home and Percy had come over to do homework, they stole him away to play games with them.

Like one time Annabeth went to the bathroom and the two of them darted out from the living room like they'd been sitting there and waiting for her to leave. They grabbed his arm and pulled him out, shoving a controller into his hand and starting a game.

Honestly? Percy had no problem with it. Calculus sucked a lot, and he really liked video games.

Even Annabeth's stepmom was cool. She had Percy stay over once for dinner, and man, she could cook. Whenever she had actually talked about her family, Annabeth acted like they were insane. Percy assured her that she didn't know insane.

Her home was always cozy and loud and the perfect amount of messy that just made it feel like a great place to be. She would never explain why she thought that, always turning around and changing the subject whenever he inquired about it.

He knew it bothered her, though, and he vowed to actually try and get it out of her some time. While her house was normally full of noise and movement, that day her dad was off giving a lecture, and her mom and brothers were at a soccer game.

The two of them were alone, so they sat there together at the kitchen table, just talking with one another about everything. Volleyball, football, school drama, all of that nice stuff that they usually talked about.

Sometimes, Percy liked to joke that it was Annabeth's therapy hour. She usually talked about volleyball and school stress, of course, but most of the time it was about Luke.

"I honestly just don't understand him," Annabeth stated with a groan as she traced her pencil absentmindedly along the top of the calculus worksheet she'd been trying to get through.

Like today, for example.

"Like, he says he misses me, but then he completely blows me off to go play video games with his friends. Who even does that?" She had been going on a rant about how her boyfriend ditched her this past weekend when he was home.

Percy had been struggling through some kind of limit problem he'd already forgotten how to do when she began to talk. So, he just stopped and listened to her, placing his left elbow on the table and resting his chin in his palm and twirling his pencil absentmindedly between the fingers of his right hand. "Apparently Luke does," he tried to joke in response, though he was met with an intense glare from the blonde girl.

"But I'm sure it was just a last minute thing," he backtracked with a smile. "He loves you, Annabeth. You know that." Her brow had been furrowed throughout the entire conversation, and when he finished speaking she groaned and smacked her forehead against the table. "I don't know that though," she insisted after a moment of silence, raising her head to give Percy a pout. "He's so confusing. I don't understand what's wrong."

The pair had begun hanging out a lot more recently, and he knew a lot of what was going through her head. She had this facade of strength and indifference that she could never really let down around anyone. Everyone knew her as Annabeth Chase, athlete extraordinaire and certified badass. She couldn't let anything tarnish that image.

More than anything, Percy just wanted to be the person she could relax and let her guard down around. And slowly but surely it was coming.

The runningback shrugged in response to her statement and sighed. "But you hung out with him Sunday, right?" he asked with a smile, to which she nodded. "Well, yeah," she mumbled as she traced her pencil along the top of her paper again.

He grinned and nodded. "See? You got to spend some time with him!" She sighed in response and shrugged. "I guess I did, but he still ditched our plans on Saturday to go play video games," she mumbled with a frown. "We had plans and he cancelled on me. He stopped by and we hung out for ten minutes and I asked him where we were going to go for dinner and he told me he already had plans, and then he left."

Percy didn't know what to say to that. That was kind of rough.

He didn't want to be that kind of dude that told her to break up with him, because that wasn't the best answer to give. But he didn't even have a semi-decent answer to give her. "Well...maybe he just knew that the two of you were going out Sunday and he wanted to catch up with the guys," he assured her with a sheepish smile. "I wouldn't overthink it too much, Annabeth. Really."

She stayed quiet for a moment before she nodded a little, fiddling with the eraser of her pencil. He tossed a wadded up piece of paper at her, which made her smile a little. "Plus, if you're really feeling lost about all this, you just need to talk to him," he assured her with his trademark grin. "Communication is a really big part of any relationship."

She threw the paper back at him, a smile tugging at her lips. "You're right," she said softly with a light laugh. "Thanks, seaweed brain. You always know how to make me feel better." He grinned and shrugged as he tossed the paper back. "And you continuously surprise me with new ocean-themed nicknames," he shot back with a laugh.

Her eyes brightened up and she jumped up from her seat. "Hey, speaking of the ocean," she began mischievously as she headed towards her volleyball bag that sat on the floor by the stairs. "I've got something for you."

He couldn't help but feel excited as he leaned back and forth trying to spot what she was grabbing, and when she did finally turn around, he was greeted by a small, white, plastic bag in her hands. She walked over, grinning ear to ear as she set it down in front of him before returning to her seat across the table from him.

She was all smiles now, her grey eyes lighter and less stormy than before. "Don't look at me like that," she scoffed playfully with a smirk. "Open it!"

He rolled his eyes at her, a smile tugging at his lips as he opened the bag up, only to see the blue and white gloves he'd been looking at in the store at the mall. His eyes widened a little and he just looked at them, his fingers dragging over the fabric before his eyes finally raised to look at the blonde, who was grinning like a fool.

"Annabeth," he said slowly before he shook his head and set them down. "I can't-" He couldn't get out another word before he was stopped from speaking by the paper sailed back across the table and nailed him right in the forehead. "You can and you will," she stated firmly. "Take it as my thank you for being my therapist and study buddy for the past couple weeks." She grinned at him happily and leaned back in her chair.

If Percy knew anything about his friend, it was that when she set her mind to something, it was happening, whether anyone liked it or not.

He hesitated before smiling sheepishly and getting the gloves out, slipping them onto his hands. They fit perfectly, and they felt nice and new. He'd have to break them in, but they were amazing. "Annabeth, I..." He trailed off before he looked up at her, smiling happily. "Thank you. So much."

She shook her head immediately and smiled. "Don't thank me, Perce. Thanks for being my friend." He just nodded before he slowly removed the gloves. He put them back in the bag before he tossed them into his backpack and raised his gaze back up to the blonde volleyball player.

"Alright, now, back to business," Annabeth told him with a forced serious expression, her eyes glinting happily. He grinned and rolled his eyes, picking up his pencil as they started on their math homework once more.

* * *

That Friday, Percy had a big game against the ironically named Jackson Tigers. It was one of their closer away games, so a lot of people drove the half hour to come watch.

It was late in the fourth quarter when Percy was out and taking a much-needed break that he took the time to actually look up in the stands. They had a nice little fan and student section on the bleachers behind their bench, all of them in blue and white.

He smiled to himself before he turned back to the game, where their coach had put in all of their second and third string players who never really got to play. They were ahead by quite a bit heading into the fourth quarter, so he let the starters sit out and have a break.

One of the sophomore kids who had gotten moved up for the season and hadn't gotten to play very much even scored a touchdown, which was heartwarming for everyone.

The Sharks were leading by a healthy margin of 28 points. Jason was seated on the metal bench, chugging a bottle of water. They were both sweaty and red-faced, tired from all their efforts in the first three quarters of the game.

Percy removed his helmet, sighing in content as the cool night air hit his face. He heard some screaming and cheering come from the bleachers, and he turned around curiously, smiling a bit as he saw

Piper going absolutely nuts in the stands as one of the Sharks on the field got a sack. Beside her, he saw Hazel and Annabeth, both of them looking kind of embarrassed. He had to give it to Piper, whether Jason was or wasn't in, she was a diehard fan.

He saw Annabeth scan the side of the field, where the rest of his team were all either seated on the bench or standing and watching the game, all decked out in their blue jerseys and helmets. It was a bit before her gaze finally came to him, and he waved unabashedly with a big smile on his face he hoped she could see from where she was sitting. It wasn't too far away.

She smiled and waved back at him, before he pointed at his gloves. He was wearing the new blue ones she'd bought for him, and her smile became even bigger. When he did finally turn away, he was smiling to himself. She was a great friend.

He plopped down next to Jason, settling his helmet on the ground between his feet as he grabbed a water bottle. There was only fifteen seconds left on the clock, and all the guys on the sideline were whooping and cheering for their teammates on the field. "I'm glad they got some playing time," Jason admitted with a smile. "Even if Leo's pissed because the freshman kicker missed a field goal."

They both laughed and Percy shook his head, grinning. "I mean, I feel bad for Leo. He loves getting in there and kicking. Coach always told him he was too short to play anywhere else," he said as he squirted a stream of water into his mouth. "He does a good job kicking though. He has a really good success rate."

Jason nodded thoughtfully with a smile as the buzzer sounded, prompting the crowd and the boys on the field to cheer happily. The two stood to their feet and grabbed their helmets, walking over to shake hands with the other team, who looked sullen and melancholic in their grass-stained orange and black jerseys.

The Sharks got into a huddle near the endzone, where a small crowd was waiting in their blue and white gear, and their coach gave them their usual post-game pep talk. When it finished they all gathered up into the middle, letting out a loud cheer before they finally dispersed to meet everyone.

Jason - who Percy had seen get slammed into by two 250 pound linemen and still stay on his feet - was immediately almost tackled to the grass by an ecstatic Piper. Hazel ran off to find Frank, and Percy made a beeline for Annabeth.

His mom had to work late that night, and his stepdad was busy as well, so they couldn't make it to this game. So, he had his friend, who he liked to call his own personal calculus textbook.

The blonde girl was a sight for sore eyes, giving him a big smile and an even bigger hug as he came over. "You did amazing, water boy," she teased him with a soft laugh as she pulled back from the hug, one of her hands remaining on his forearm. "How many catches did you have tonight? Like a thousand, right?"

Someone needed to explain to him how she looked so amazing and cute in just jeans and a hoodie. Her boyfriend's hoodie, nonetheless, though he didn't like to think about that.

All he could do was smile and shrug, letting his arms fall back to his sides. "Thanks Annabeth, but it was only a few." He honestly had never been one to keep track of his stats when he was playing. A few of his teammates did every now and then, and that's really the only time he ever thought about it. "And honestly? I think I'll be doing a lot better now that I have my lucky gloves."

He gave her a big smile and held out his hands, showing her the blue gloves that had quickly become his personal favorite.

Her eyes brightened as well and she smacked his arm. "Good, Jackson. Because I expect a shit ton of touchdowns and everything else from you during the rest of the season," she said and puffed out her chest, putting on her "proud mom" act that he always teased her about.

He just laughed and shook his head, patting her on top of the head. "Of course wise girl. Just for you." She gave a satisfied smile at his response and nodded. "Piper brought her bigass car, so she's taking all of us home," she informed him as she tucked her hands into the pockets of her hoodie.

"But you need to change first. You smell like absolute shit."


	7. Chapter 7

It was a Thursday night, and Percy hustled his ass over to Annabeth's place right after his practice got out.

He got to the front door and knocked before coming in, seeing Mrs. Chase in the kitchen and Bobby and Matthew playing a video game in the living room. He greeted the boys before going over to their mom, giving her a smile.

"Hi, Percy," she said to him with a warm smile, turning away from the stove. He could tell that she was in the middle of cooking dinner from the smells arising from the pans on the stove as well as her bright-colored polka dot apron. "Hi Mrs. Chase," he greeted as he rested his hands on the straps of his backpack. "Is Annabeth upstairs?"

She nodded and smiled as she turned back to the stove. "Yep, she's in her room. She's been up there since she got home from practice." There was something in her voice that Percy couldn't place, and it almost sounded like worry. It was gone in a second, though, so he figured he must have over-examined it. "Head on up, dear."

He thanked her and took the stairs two at a time, locating Annabeth's room before knocking and heading inside. Percy had no idea whether or not Annabeth's parents trusting him enough to be alone in her room with her with the door closed was a good thing or a bad thing.

Was he being friendzoned by her parents? Shit. That would be a new low.

Aside from that tangent, Annabeth's room was about how you think it would look. Nice and spacious, painted a light grey with white furniture and trim. Well organized, clean, and smelling of some kind of air freshener she had plugged into her wall. Above her desk she had numerous pictures, awards, and medals strung up along her wall. He had found out that she only displayed the important ones, meaning the All-State certificates, her state runner-up medal, big tournament medals, all of that stuff that no one else had.

When he walked in, Annabeth was laying down on her bed, playing on her phone. He heard some music playing from a speaker on her desk. She looked up as he walked in and gave him a soft smile. "Hey, Perce," she said as she sat up, rubbing her eyes a little.

He smiled and closed the door behind him before he set his backpack on the end of her bed. "Hey. You look busy," he teased as he sat down beside his backpack, leaning over to rifle through it. He heard a slight chuckle before she swatted the side of his head as she stood up.

"Definitely," she agreed as she moved over to her desk and slumped into her swivel chair, reluctantly opening her calculus textbook. He smiled and leaned back against the wall, settling his own textbook beside him and his notebook on his thighs. "Well, ready to get started?" he asked with a grin as he fished out a pencil. She nodded and sighed, giving him a soft smile. "If we have to," she murmured to herself before she grabbed her own pencil and the two got to work.

* * *

It wasn't long before Percy lost every single bit of motivation to do his homework. Usually it took a lot longer for him to zone out, but that day he even wasn't feeling it when they started.

At the moment he realized it, he was laying down on her bed, holding his literature book and trying to focus enough to read it. Annabeth was at her desk in her chair, spinning around aimlessly while she stared up at the ceiling. She had some random music playing quietly from the speaker, and Percy found it infinitely hard to focus.

He finally just set his book down on his chest and looked over at her, biting down on his lower lip. She looked lost in thought, with her fingers laced over her stomach and her eyes trained upwards, staring at nothing. When he came over, he'd gotten some details out of her that her and Luke had another fight, though nothing specific.

"You look like you've got something on your mind," he noted as he gave her a smile. He knew it was bothering her and he really wanted to listen. They'd both been there for each other a lot since they'd started hanging out more. She looked up at him, her grey eyes stormy and thoughtful, giving him a bit of a smile. "C'mon, Chase. Out with it."

She visibly hesitated for a moment before she slowly nodded and turned to face him, her brows furrowed a bit. "Well...I don't know if it's just me being crazy and overreacting or if it's him being an asshole."

She gave him a helpless look. "I don't even know, Percy," she complained, dragging her fingers through her loose blonde curls. "He just...he said he had two classes today, and then he'd call me when he was done. And we said goodbye and everything and I sat there waiting for him to call or text me all day." Her brow furrowed even more than it already was. "He got out of class at like one, Perce. It's almost seven now and he hasn't even texted."

She groaned and leaned back, glaring up at the ceiling as if it was the reason Luke hadn't contacted her. "It's not like he works or does anything after class. And honestly? It wouldn't bother me this much if it didn't happen literally every day." She looked up at him with a sigh, her expression kind of sad. "I get he's busy, but...even during his free time he doesn't want to talk to me."

Now, Percy didn't know a lot of things. And girls? Yeah, he had no clue. But if he did know anything, it was Annabeth.

While he'd been listening to her, he had slowly sat up and set his book aside in his backpack, sitting on her bed with his legs crossed. When she finished, he hesitated to consider his words before he began to speak. "Honestly, that's just something you have to talk out with him," he said carefully. "Like...the only way it's gonna be fixed is if you just go and talk to him and tell him what you're thinking."

She listened to him intently, her brow still furrowed. It hadn't lessened by the end of his sentence, though. "In theory, you're right," she admitted as she spun around in her chair once more, stopping herself with her feet when she faced Percy again. "But Luke has this thing where, sometimes, he doesn't like to think anything is his fault." She groaned. "He's my boyfriend, Percy. I feel like he should make an attempt to talk to me."

The runningback nodded in agreement, still debating with himself on what to say. It upset him that Luke was taking her for granted like this. Several times she had jokingly stated that she talked to Percy five times as much as she talked to her own boyfriend, which got laughs from anyone who was around to hear it. Percy and Piper were really the only ones to know how much it truly bothered her, though.

"He does need to make an attempt," he reassured her. She got quiet again, and spun around in her chair. She didn't even sigh or make any kind of noise. When she turned in her chair to look at him again, she had tears in her eyes.

His heart broke into a thousand pieces at the same time as he saw her struggling to hold them back. He opened his arms to her and it wasn't a second later that she was out of her chair and into his arms.

Percy was one of those people who was really empathetic towards others. The second someone else was hurting in any way, he started hurting himself. He was already a mess when he saw the tears in her eyes, but the second she flew into his arms and began crying into his chest, his heart broke even more.

"Hey, it's okay," he said softly as he wrapped his arms around her gently. "It is. Even if it's not right now it's going to be." For someone who was good at empathy, he really sucked at comforting people.

He wanted to tell her how amazing she was and how she deserved the entire world and how he wasn't treating her right. Yet even with so many things to tell her, he was still at a loss for words.

She gripped his shirt and pushed herself so tightly against his chest that her cries were muffled. He didn't think she wanted anyone downstairs to hear it. Eventually, Percy just stopped trying to think of things to tell her. He just sat and held her in his arms, running his fingers soothingly along her back and shoulders.

He always remembered his mom doing that to him when he was a kid and he came to her crying. For the most part, it seemed to work.

She eventually stopped crying, either having run out of tears or was just too tired to actually keep it up. They sat there together for a while in complete silence. She had leaned back to rest beside him against the wall, her eyes trained on something across the room that wasn't actually there. He kept his arm around her, sighing softly to himself.

He really didn't understand why she kept going back to him. He ignored her and sometimes it didn't seem like he even respected her. Well...maybe he was biased. But still. He didn't really know what to do at this point. What could he do? Her boyfriend was treating her like shit.

He was deep in thought with himself, his fingers absentmindedly running up and down her upper arm, when she let out a soft sigh and moved away from his side, standing up.

She wiped her eyes and looked away from him, her cheeks tinted a light pink color. "Well, uh...dinner should be ready about now," she said softly, tucking some loose hair behind her ear. He just nodded a little and cocked his head to the side before he stood up beside her.

It was kind of funny. Their height difference was a lot bigger than he had originally thought.

She looked so sad still and it broke his heart. Before she could do anything, he leaned down and kissed her cheek gently. "Uh...listen, if you ever need to talk again, I'm here. No matter what." That statement actually got a bit of a smile out of her, and she nodded. "Thanks. But..." she hesitated before she looked up at him and gave him a look. "Seriously, fish face. If you tell anyone about this, you're dead." He grinned and shrugged.

"I wouldn't dream of it."

* * *

There was nothing louder to Percy than the roar of a crowd. But the second he focused on a play or the ball or something on the field, it all went away.

They were in a huddle, him and his teammates gathered up in their white and blue jerseys, covered in grass and dirt stains. Jason had an intense look in his blue eyes, barking out a play to them.

They all nodded and clapped once in sync before they headed over to the line, everyone getting ready. Percy rocked back and forth on his heels, jumping a bit and getting ready to go. He settled in as everyone waited and watched for the snap. As soon as the ball was actually snapped, Percy took off running.

He easily passed by the guy who was supposed to be defending him, leaving the kid in the dust the second he got the chance. He looked over his shoulder as he pumped his arms, seeing the ball spiraling towards him. He reached up to catch it, smiling to himself.

This was gonna be easy. Or...he thought so, at least.

That kinda got messed up when his fingers closed around the ball and it slipped through, hitting the ground. He heard the entire crowd erupt into groans and he skidded to a stop, staring down at the ground.

He heard whistles and the laughter of the red and white clad fans in the Mustang section of the bleachers, and his face burned.

He'd just botched the third down conversion.

Again.

He heard the loud tweet of the whistle as some of his teammates ran in, Leo included. He would be the one punting. He'd been doing that a lot this game. He slapped Percy on the back as he jogged off the field, and once he got to the sideline, his anger and annoyance overtook him.

He removed his helmet and threw it at the ground, letting out a yell of frustration. "What the fuck is wrong with me?" he growled to himself, raking his fingers through his damp hair. He plopped down on the bench and buried his face into his hands.

He couldn't make a catch tonight. He couldn't even run the ball. He couldn't do anything. He had lost his team more yards than he'd gained. He felt terrible.

What made all of this even worse is that it was a home game. Having his school and his town see him failing was worse than actually failing in and of itself. Especially since Annabeth was here.

Well...Annabeth and the rest of the Goode students. But mostly Annabeth.

Through his fingers, he saw someone stop right in front of him, though he didn't look up at them. He didn't even want to speak. He heard that someone clear their throat, and he finally raised his head, grimacing when he saw Coach Hedge standing there with an annoyed look on his face.

"What, coach?" Percy asked as he glared over at the scoreboard, which showed the Mustangs with 31 and the Sharks leading with a measly 34. There was six minutes minutes left in the fourth quarter, so it was definitely make-or-break time for the Sharks. And he couldn't do a damn thing to help.

"Kid, take it easy," Hedge said to him in a surprisingly quiet voice. "Getting that angry doesn't help anyone. And it certainly doesn't help your case if there are any scouts here tonight."

Percy quickly realized that his coach was right and let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "Shit," he muttered to himself. Hedge sat beside him and looked out at the field, where the Sharks' defense was making easy work of the Mustangs and getting a sack on the quarterback.

"Coach, I sucked tonight," Percy mumbled to him. "What if this is the game they caught? And they just decided that I wasn't worth it because of how I played tonight?" Hedge gave a small smile, something that the runningback had rarely seen from him. "I wouldn't worry, kid. Your numbers speak for you," he said as he readjusted his Sharks cap on his head. "Just take it easy. Coach said for you to just sit there and calm down."

He patted Percy on the shoulder before he stood, giving him that typical Hedge glare. "Oh, and also? Don't throw your damn helmet. The next time I see you mistreating team property like that, I'm gonna make you run sprints until something comes out of both ends."

Percy just grinned and saluted his coach. "Yes sir," he said as Hedge rolled his eyes and stormed off, though Percy could have sworn that he saw a smirk on his lips.

While his conversation with Hedge made him feel a little better, it didn't last for long. He still felt angry and frustrated, and it made it worse that he wasn't getting put back in during the game.

So, he did as his head coach wanted. He stood there with his teammates on the sideline, drank down a bottle of water, and watched the game. They ended up pulling out a win, neither team scoring again in that fourth quarter.

They shook hands and Percy stalked off towards the locker room, gripping his helmet firmly by the face mask. After games, Percy was usually greeted with cheers and slaps on the back and high fives, though this time everyone seemed to avert their gaze.

They all knew he played terribly. At the thought, his cheeks burned in shame. He ducked his head and pushed through the crowd, heading towards the school and the locker room. There he could at least be alone for a bit. But, of course, someone grabbed onto his jersey and stopped him from going any further.

He turned, about to quickly dismiss himself, when he was met with a sheepish smile and a gorgeous pair of stormy grey eyes. Annabeth. He found himself at a loss for words as all the embarrassment and shame he had felt fame rushing forward all at once. She must have been able to tell, because she looked around before grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the school. The doors were unlocked so the players could get inside to the locker room, and the pair headed in.

They got inside the doors and the blonde immediately looked up at Percy, her eyes full of worry and concern. "Are you okay?" He nodded, though he felt a lot more okay before she had asked that.

Often he found himself repressing whatever feelings he had. The stress, the worry, the anxiety about his performance in games. He had all this pressure on him. He was supposed to be this legend, and it was his understanding that legends didn't make mistakes. Sometimes he felt he had more mistakes than positive things happen during games. Tonight definitely didn't help him at all. It was overwhelming.

She must have seen that intense sad look in his eyes that he just couldn't push down, and gave him an understanding look. "Come here, Perce," she said to him in a soft voice as she opened her arms to him.

He didn't even hesitate before he leaned down to hug her, burying his face into her neck. He was in all his football pads, so her arms barely fit around him, but it was comforting nevertheless.

He let his helmet drop to the ground with a clunking sound and gripped her hoodie in his fingers. He felt emotionally drained at this point. He didn't know how he should feel, but right now it was too much.

It was way too much for him to handle.

He relaxed in her arms, his face tucked against her shoulder and the fingers of her right hand buried in his hair. He just closed his eyes and sat there with her.

Outside the doors they could hear the marching band still playing the Goode fight song, the thrum of the crowd exiting the stadium, the noise of cars peeling out of the parking lot, but it didn't matter to either of them.

Once he felt mentally stable enough, they separated. Annabeth kept a hand on his upper arm, her brow furrowed in worry. She didn't even have to say what she was thinking, he understood. She thought he didn't need to worry, and that it's okay to have an off game sometimes.

In no way did he agree, but he didn't want to argue with her.

She gave him a smile and patted his arm. "Alright, go and get changed. I'm taking you to a party and getting you drunk." He couldn't help but crack a small smile as he nodded, sighing softly as he bent over to pick up his helmet.

"Sounds like a plan to me."


	8. Chapter 8

Percy was drunk. Really drunk. So drunk that at one point Annabeth lost him and when she finally located him, he was sitting on the kitchen floor giggling and holding a banana he'd grabbed out of the fruit bowl.

When he got drunk, he got super happy and giggly and flirty. For the most part, it was pretty damn cute.

It got a little less cute when he came up behind one of the cheerleaders and tried to hand her the banana he had grabbed, and she just looked confused. Annabeth immediately ran to collect him and pull him away, apologizing for her drunk friend.

Yeah. It was cute for the most part.

When she finally decided it was time to get going, she felt lost as for what to do. It hadn't been far into the party when she lost sight of Jason and Piper and everyone else she knew was busy doing their own thing.

So, Annabeth struggled immensely to get Percy out of the house and down the street towards her car. He was like a six foot tall sack of bricks. They had just barely made it off the front porch when he collapsed into a heap and started laughing, his head lolled back against the grass.

Annabeth just sighed and knelt down to sit him up. He smelled like alcohol and a certain kind of body spray that he always wore. When he did finally sit up, as drunk as she'd ever seen him, he gave her that Percy-esque smile that could've lit up the dark side of the moon. What a cliche, but it just fit him so damn well.

His hand came to rest on her upper arm, and his smile faltered slightly. His brow furrowed and he stuttered for a bit, trying to find his words. "I-I...just wanna thank you," he said slowly. "Like...for being my friend, y'know? It...it means a lot to me."

He gave her a grin, chuckling as he leaned against her, his forehead pressed to her shoulder. His messy hair brushed against her neck and made goosebumps raise on her skin. "Like...spending time with you makes me sooooo happy," he said in a slightly slurred voice and raised his head to look up at her, that big grin back on his face as if it had never left.

His green eyes sparkled like the ocean. "You make me happy."

Her heart felt about ready to explode. He was looking up at her with the sweetest smile and the happiest look in his eyes. Even if he was drunk, it was adorable. She was just looking at him and smiling when he did something that kind of took her by surprise.

He leaned up and kissed her.

She was stunned for a moment, and all she could register was his warm, gentle hand on her cheek and his soft lips pressed against her own. He tasted of beer and soda.

He pulled back after a moment and gave her a smile before his eyes went wide with what looked like panic. She was about to ask what was wrong, when he promptly threw up onto her shoes.

After her initial squeal of disgust and horror, she felt a rush of ease and relief that he hadn't done that into her mouth or onto her during their kiss. As she sat there, staring at him in disgust, she began to giggle. Why it was funny, she had no idea. But it was. She was soon laughing as she removed her puked-on shoes and helped Percy to his feet, ruffling his hair.

He seemed a little more subdued now, leaning against her quietly. He hadn't wiped his face quite yet, and it looked rather gross. The second they got to her car and she unlocked the door, she helped him inside. She made sure he was buckled before she reached in front of him and rifled through the glovebox until she found a stack of napkins. She grabbed a handful of those and a bottle of water before handing them to Percy with a smile. "Here, seaweed brain. Clean yourself up, okay?"

He nodded quietly and gave her a sheepish smile as he began rinsing his mouth and wiping everything off his face. She closed the door before walking around to her side, climbing in and turning the car on. It was well past sunset, and it was dark and a little chilly outside, and Annabeth flicked the heat on. She turned on some soft music, and it ended up being some music from her phone that Percy had showed her.

He had made her a playlist a while back of some songs he thought she would like and she had quickly fallen in love with it.

She smiled to herself as she pulled out and began driving down the street while she listened to the first song that came up. It was a song she thought that Percy would never listen to but actually did. It was soft and quiet and almost mournful - the opposite of his personality altogether.

The raven-haired boy in question was seated in the passenger seat, staring out the window in absolute silence. Now, it wasn't like drunk or regular Percy to be quiet and look so forlorn, and she knew something was up. She glanced at him as the streetlights they drove by cast a ghastly orange-tinted shadow across his face.

"You alright?" she asked him softly, her voice seeming too loud in the quiet car. The music continued playing softly under their conversation. He stared right ahead for a little bit and stayed so quiet that she debated on whether or not he had heard her. She was about to ask again, when he let out a little sigh. "Yeah. I just feel dumb," he said in a quiet voice. "Like...I feel bad. I wasn't thinking when I did that."

She knew he was still a little drunk, and that's probably why he was addressing the issue instead of ignoring it. "I'm sorry, Annabeth." She couldn't help but smile a little bit as she shook her head to herself. "Don't worry about it," she chuckled as she glanced over at him. "Really, Percy. It's fine. I thought it was kind of cute."

He froze a little and the blonde just chuckled to herself in the driver's seat, making a turn towards her place. "Really?" he mumbled, and she could hear him fiddling around with his seatbelt.

She had learned that he often played with random things he could find, like clicking a pen during class or zipping and unzipping his jacket. He seemed to always need to keep his hands busy.

She nodded in response to his question and gave him a soothing smile. "Yes, of course. Don't worry about it." She chuckled to herself and shook her head. "It's not like it meant anything, y'know? You're pretty drunk."

He got quiet again, though this time she kept her eyes on the road, just smiling. She heard a bit of a chuckle as he rustled around and leaned back in his seat. "You're right. Let's just forget about it," he murmured. He sounded tired.

She pulled into her driveway and he looked up at her house confusedly. "Why are we here?" he asked her as he sat forward. She smiled and turned her car off, unbuckling her seatbelt. "Well, my parents aren't home, and I thought you'd want to sleep off that hangover here." She climbed out and walked over to his side, opening it up and helping him out. "You don't wanna make Sally worry," she told him as he unbuckled himself.

He nodded in agreement as he clumsily got out of the car, leaning against her for support. "You're right there," he admitted as he managed to slam the door shut before the two of them made their way inside. The house was dark and silent, yet Annabeth still felt a warmth inside of her as they slipped off their shoes and made their way into the house.

Percy was still kind of stumbling around, so she had her arm laced around his waist as she led him to the couch and sat him down. She flicked on the lamp and smiled as he played with the edges of a throw pillow. "I'll go grab you some clean clothes," she told him with a smile. "You need to change out of those. You smell like puke."

He laughed a little and nodded as she turned and ran off up the stairs to her room. She had some of Luke's old clothes laying around that she thought would fit Percy. She found a pair of shorts and a t-shirt as well as a sweatshirt that she gathered into her arms and carried downstairs.

What she definitely wasn't expecting to find in her living room was Percy in nothing but his boxers. They had little pictures of sharks on them.

Not that she was looking, of course.

Her mouth felt a little dry as she slowed a bit, her eyes trained on him. He heard her come down and raised his head to look at her, giving her a smile. "Why?" is all she could ask as she tossed the clothes at him. He managed to catch them and gave her a bit of a pout. "Why what?" he asked as he began to slip on the shorts she had thrown at him. "Why are you not wearing clothes?" she asked with red cheeks as she averted her eyes.

"Well, mine were gross. You told me to take them off," he reminded her as he rustled around. When she looked back, he had just finished pulling the shorts up. Her eyes caught his toned stomach and chest and her cheeks heated up all over again.

She tried not to pay attention, but how could she not? He was lean yet muscular, and the low light of the room cast shadows that just accentuated everything. He had tan lines on his arms and neck from his jersey and spending a lot of time out in the sun, yet the rest of his body was tan as well.

What she noticed most of all though were a few scattered scars along his chest and arms. There weren't many, and if the stark white of the scars didn't stand out so much against his tanned skin, she wouldn't have noticed.

It finally hit her that she probably shouldn't be staring at him, and she groaned. "Percy!" she exclaimed as she looked away again. She still felt uneasy about the scars, though. She would have to ask him about them sometime though. "Put the damn clothes on!" She heard him mumble something about how girls are confusing as he rustled around some more.

After a moment, she heard him sigh. "Okay, okay. I'm done now. Are you happy?" She turned around to see him fully clothed, his arms folded across his chest. His hair was an absolute mess, and his dirty clothes sat in a pile on the floor.

She rolled her eyes and smirked at him, nodding. "Yes. Thank you."

He snorted and laid back on the couch, closing his eyes. He was exhausted, drunk, and kind of delirious. She grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch and spread it over him. "Here. Sleep well," she mumbled in a soft voice. She doubted that he heard her since he was already practically asleep.

She smiled to herself and rolled her eyes as she turned to head upstairs to her room. "Seaweed brain," she muttered to herself and shook her head before she made her way up the stairs.

* * *

Annabeth slept like a rock that night, and when she woke up she almost smiled to herself. It was the weekend, she didn't have practice until the next day, and she was going to be able to spend the day hanging out with Percy. The only thing that would've made it a lot more ideal is if Luke was home and she could spend the day with him. Not that Percy wasn't cool to be with, but she missed her boyfriend.

When she sat up, she was greeted with the sunlight shining through her windows. It was one of those perfect, picturesque mornings that made her think of a day full of possibility and promise.

That is, until she checked her phone to see two snapchats, five texts, and eight calls from Luke.

She suddenly began to feel very sick. From what she could gather when quickly glancing them over, he was angry. She sat up in bed and her blood went cold as she read everything he had sent her. He had found out about Percy kissing her, and he was pissed.

Someone from the party had seen the pair in the front yard and went to tell Luke. Shit.

What was even worse is that, apparently, he had come home for the weekend and was on his way to her place. He had sent this a half hour before she woke up, so he was almost here. She panicked, her mind racing and her heart pounding.

She was screwed. Percy was screwed too.

She began to panic even more as she realized that her raven-haired friend was still passed out in her living room, trying to sleep off a severe hangover. She needed to get him out of here before Luke got there, or else he was dead. She practically flew down the stairs, her heart pounding a lot faster than it should've been.

Percy was actually a really good friend to her, and the last thing she wanted to do was drive him away because her boyfriend was insanely jealous and angry about something that didn't mean anything.

When she got down to the living room, Percy was still knocked out cold on the couch. She ran over and shook him awake, and judging by the shocked look in his eyes she guessed she had a rather intense expression on her face. "Listen, you have to go," she said hurriedly as she grabbed him by his shoulders and tried to lift him to his feet, though it was like trying to pick up a car.

A stubborn, hungover, drowsy car.

"Why?" he mumbled in response as he rubbed his eyes and sat up, groaning softly. "What's wrong?" She didn't know how to explain it. She didn't want to tell him that her boyfriend figured out about their kiss, and that he was pissed and on his way over to her house. "Just...trust me," she rushed as she grabbed his shirt and pulled him to his feet. "Please, just trust me. Hurry up."

As he finally sighed and nodded, gathering up his phone and his keys from the coffee table, she saw a glint of light come from outside the big windows at the front of her house. Her heart began to pound as she saw Luke's car halt in the driveway, and him step out. He looked pissed.

She made a pathetic choking noise in the back of her throat as she as she shoved Percy in the back towards the back door.

Maybe she could get him out without Luke seeing him? But his car wasn't here. He'd have to run or walk.

Maybe she could push him into a closet or another room and he'd hide until she could help him get out? But if her and Luke resolved everything he'd probably stay over and sit in the living room.

Her mind felt fuzzy and she felt panicked. She didn't know what to do. She never didn't know what to do. Luke was coming up the stairs of her front porch, and here she was, standing in her living room with a boy she kissed the night before while in a relationship, who was also wearing her boyfriend's clothes.

What a mess.

She found herself frozen in worry and fear as Luke knocked before he opened up the front door. Usually whenever Luke walked through her front door, they were both all smiles and she she would run to give him a big hug and a kiss. This time, she wanted to turn and run right out the back door.

He stared straight at them, almost analyzing their positions, Percy's clothes, and everything else. The anger on his face just intensified. Luke was usually an easygoing, sweet guy. When he played football, if someone even violently tackled him, he would just smile and get up and pat them on the back. She had never seen such rage in those blue eyes of his.

"Jackson," he said through gritted teeth as he walked forward. Percy froze completely beside her, and she could tell he was scared out of his hangover. "Uh, hey, Luke," he said in a quiet voice. "Listen, man, I'm sure we can talk everything out."

The blonde snorted a little and rolled his eyes, glaring heavily at Percy. "What exactly do you want to talk about? You kissing my girlfriend?" He took a few steps closer, and Annabeth stepped between them, her back towards Percy and her hands held up to Luke. She hoped she didn't look as scared as she felt.

"Babe, please, he was drunk. It didn't mean anything," she tried to assure him. "Please just calm down. It didn't mean anything." Luke clenched his fists and shot her a fiery look. "You told me I didn't have to worry about him," he spit at her. "You promised me."

Luke was angry, and she could see it in his eyes as he glared between them. "How do I know that it was just a kiss? How do I know that you didn't fuck?" he snapped, a thousand emotions running through his blue eyes. Those blue eyes that she had seen sparkling as he laughed.

"Dammit, Annabeth," he exclaimed exasperatedly. "Can't you tell that he's into you?" The frustration in his voice threw her for a loop. What did he mean?

She glanced over her shoulder at Percy, whose face was a light shade of pink, though he was shaking his head at her. His green eyes flicked from hers to Luke's. "That's not true. We're just friends."

He sounded adamant, though the look in his eyes made her think otherwise. A moment later, though, it was gone.

She looked back to Luke, who was giving him such an intense glare that she thought his face would get stuck like that. "You're a fucking liar," he growled before he surged forward.

Annabeth tried to stay between them, but she felt hands from behind her shove her away. It honestly felt as if it happened in slow motion. She stumbled away from the boys and heard a fist connect somewhere.

When she finally turned back around, she saw Luke standing with his fists clenched, a bit of scarlet red blood on his knuckles. Percy was a few feet away, hunched over with his hand covering his mouth. He had tears glistening in his eyes and his face was scrunched up.

Before she could even speak, Luke lurched forward again and hit Percy hard in the stomach. The dark-haired boy gasped and didn't have much or any time to recover before Luke sent several more desperate, emotion-driven punches Percy's way.

It, unfortunately, wasn't until then that Annabeth found her voice. "Luke! Stop!" she cried, rushing forward and grabbing his hand by the wrist. When that didn't work, she put herself between them. The rage in his eyes terrified her. Luke would've gone after him again, if it hadn't been for Annabeth holding him back.

"Stay the fuck away from her," the blonde growled at Percy, who was cupping his face and wincing. "Stay away. If I even see you so much as talk to her, I'm gonna beat your ass."

All of a sudden, Annabeth felt a surge of anger, and she shoved him back. "At least he was there for me when you were being an asshole," she spit at him. "Go upstairs and calm down. I'll deal with you in a second."

Annabeth was never one to get overly angry or to snap like she had just done, but when she did, it was serious.

He just gave them both a glare before he huffed and turned around, stomping extra hard up the stairs. He seemed as if he didn't want to argue with her right now.

As soon as he walked away, she deflated. She felt nothing but guilt for everything she had done to him. How would she feel if he was at a party with his best female friend and had kissed her? She would feel exactly like he did. Except...she probably wouldn't try to break the girl's nose. Probably.

She sighed and shook her head before she sat a dazed and pained Percy on the couch, his fingers cupped over his face. A sick feeling settled in the pit of her stomach as she looked at him, his hands lowering from his face. "I'm so sorry, Perce," she mumbled as she examined his features.

His eyes were cast down, though one of them was close to being swollen shut. He had a small bruise on his jaw and lower lip was split. That must've been where the blood came from.

He gave her a sheepish smile, his eyes still looking elsewhere. "Don't worry. It's my fault. You didn't initiate it." He shrugged a little and winced as he brought his fingers up to his lip. "Fuck, that hurts." She chuckled a little and helped clean the blood off his face before she patted him on the head.

She didn't know what to do or how to feel about what just happened. Luke was never angry like that, and it terrified her. Percy was a good friend, but after the kiss and everything else, was it worth it to keep talking to him and ruin the best relationship she'd ever had?

She looked down at him while he played with his fingers, before she sighed again. "Listen, go grab some ice from my freezer. Put it on those bruises, and then you need to head home."

His face fell a little and he cocked his head to the side. "But...we were gonna hang out today." She averted her eyes and sighed. "Yeah, but Luke's here now, and he's pissed. I really can't just write him off to hang out with you. Especially not after that."

It came out a lot harsher than she intended it to, and she could see the hurt glint in his eyes. She wanted to apologize, but he just stood up and winced. "Yeah, you're right." He couldn't meet her eyes again. "I'll see you later, Annabeth. I'm sorry for everything."

She just stood there, staring at the ground, until she heard the front door close. She felt kind of bad, but she wasn't going to throw away her entire relationship just to hang out with another guy, even if he was her friend.

Maybe that was bitchy of her, but she loved her boyfriend.

She really had to work to clean up this mess though. She rubbed her forehead and sighed before she made her way upstairs to go deal with Luke.


	9. Chapter 9

When Percy got home from Annabeth's, after a long and cold walk with a dead phone and no shoes (he'd somehow lost them the night before at the party) he got an earful from his mother, the one and only Sally Jackson.

He understood it. He had disappeared for a day and a half and came home with no shoes, bruises all over his face, and wearing clothes that weren't his own.

After a short lecture from a worried Sally, she just hugged him and sighed. "You're the reason I have grey hair," she muttered mostly to herself, though it made him smile. He loved his mom.

After she got her hug in, he went and showered off the grime and filth that had settled on him in the past day. After he got out and changed, he also took great pleasure in chucking Luke's clothes into the garbage.

That was really all that happened with him that weekend. Well...that and Annabeth ignoring him. He wasn't going to lie and say he didn't care, because he did. It was so hard talking to someone every day and all of a sudden just going without them.

He hated it. He hoped that she was just busy, and that everything would go back to normal at school on Monday.

Boy was he wrong.

Their whole group usually parked together - him, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Hazel, Frank, Leo, etc. though on Monday, Annabeth's car was nowhere to be found. He later figured out she parked way across the lot in front of the gym with some of her volleyball teammates.

In calculus she didn't even look at him. After the bell rang, he headed over to her and cracked a joke about Dodds and her coffee breath, though she just gave him a polite smile and pushed past to leave the room.

He knew Luke told them to stay apart, but he didn't think that Annabeth would actually leave him alone. It was a few days into this weird new routine of Percy trying to initiate conversation and Annabeth always dodging it when he got a bit tired and decided to talk to her while she was by herself so she couldn't slip off into another conversation and ignore him.

He got his opportunity one day after he got out of football practice and was walking to his car. He had to head past the gym, and he saw her standing by her car with her bag. She must've just gotten out of practice.

He hesitated for a moment before he walked over, brushing his fingers through his hair. "Hey Annabeth," he said to her with a small smile. She looked up, and he saw panic flash across her features before it was gone a moment later.

He saw her eyes flash across his bruised and mangled face, and he self consciously touched his fingers to his bruised jaw. Luke could really throw a punch.

"Uh, hey," she replied back. She opened her door and threw her bag into the backseat, not meeting his gaze. He frowned a little. "How've you been?" he asked, opting to ignore her behavior. "I missed our study sessions this week. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna fail that calc test tomorrow." He tried a joke, but she just smiled a bit and shrugged.

"Sorry. I was busy." She was trying to get out of the conversation, and he didn't want to let her. He rested his hand on her arm, causing her to finally look up and meet his eye. "Annabeth, we're okay, right?"

He sounded desperate, and he wanted to kick himself. She looked conflicted, and she sighed, resting her hand on top of his. The contact made his heart jump. "Percy, Luke is pissed," she said softly, looking genuinely guilty. "He told me that he didn't want me talking to you anymore."

He winced a little, and his fingers wrapped around hers. "But...we're just friends," he mumbled as he cocked his head to the side. She shook her head, her eyes now cast down. "He doesn't see it that way."

Her voice was quiet, and she pulled her hand away. His heart broke a little as he just stood there. "You're going to just go?" he asked, trying to hold back the hurt expression he knew was overtaking his face. "But..." He couldn't find any more words.

She threw her backpack into her car, her eyes cast down again. "You and I both know I have to, Percy," she said in that soft voice. "I'm sorry." He was still standing there, embarrassed and hurt, when she backed away and drove out of the lot in her car.

He wanted to say he didn't care. He wanted to just walk away and sigh and get over it. He wanted to say that he didn't like her and he didn't care if she left. But he knew more than anyone that he was just telling himself more lies.

* * *

Annabeth had to admit that it was hard to walk away from Percy. Or...drive away. Whatever.

That night that Luke and Percy fought, she and her boyfriend had a long talk. They discussed the kiss, their problems, and everything else that had been making either of them stressed.

She thought they were in a better place than they ever had been before. Luke had one condition for her, though: she had to stop talking to Percy.

At first, she laughed. How middle school-esque was it to say that she couldn't talk to a guy friend? But he was dead serious, and her laughter stopped immediately after that. Oh. She would have to stop talking to Percy.

She argued for a little while with him. He had been there for her for the past weeks when Luke was absent.

He had kept her safe when she got drunk at parties, came to every one of her volleyball games, helped her with her homework. Her family loved him. She was just supposed to throw that all away? Apparently.

It took a long, long talk before she finally agreed. She would stop talking to Percy. Her chest hurt just thinking about it. No more study sessions. No more big hugs after her games. No more hanging out with Jason and Percy and Frank all together. No more seaweed brain.

When Luke left that next day to return to school, she felt empty. Percy had snapped her several times, she assumed to make sure that she was okay, though she couldn't open them.

School was brutal, not being able to talk to the guy that had quickly become one of her closest friends. But she tried to drive it out of her mind. Her and Luke were better than they had ever been before. She was happy with him. And slowly that happiness began to overtake the sadness that Percy's absence had caused.

It was still a bit timid between the two of them, to be honest. Luke was still wary of her talking to or being around Percy, which she began to understand even if it upset her.

The fallout really happened on a big home game, on a Friday when the football team had their bye week. Everyone was there, the entire gym and mainly the student section packed to capacity to watch the Sharks take on the Hillview Vikings, the team they had lost to the previous year at the state finals.

There was a bitter rivalry between the two teams, and Annabeth was eager to show their opponents what they had worked for in the off season. It was the fifth set, and everyone was on edge. Both teams had won two, and the score was 14-13, the sharks winning by a meager point. They just needed one more. One more point and they would win.

Hazel was in the back row serving, the entire gym at an almost silence as she served. When the other team was preparing their volley back, the student section and the rest of the gym roared to try and distract them. It came over hard, and one of the girls in the back row easily dug it up to Piper.

The setter called out a specific number that correlated to Annabeth's spot. She was getting the set. She would make sure to make it the last.

The moment seemed to move in slow motion. The ball arcing towards her, the roar of the fans, the blockers leaping up to try and stop her. Nothing would stop her, she determined as she approached and leapt up, harder and higher than she ever had before. She swung, and it crashed through their hands and slammed down onto the court between them.

The entire gym erupted into cheers as the ref blew the whistle and Annabeth's team mobbed her. She was locked into a massive smile as they came over, and all of them let out loud cheers.

This game meant a lot more than just contributing to their undefeated season. It showed that all their hard work paid off from last year, and that they had a real shot to win the state title this season.

Once they shook hands, everyone mobbed the court and began talking to everyone on the team, mainly Annabeth. She talked and smiled and laughed as people commended her, though she slowly started moving towards the locker room, to her quiet, safe space.

She was almost there, when she felt a hand on her arm. The touch was so gentle and so familiar that she knew who it was before she even turned. When she did, she saw those sea green eyes and that dark, messy hair, and her heart sank. "Hey, Annabeth," Percy said with a small smile. "Uh...can we please just talk?"

He was pleading, the look in his eyes unsure and reserved. She was in a great mood, and at the back of her mind she thought about how much she missed the dork.

She slowly nodded, offering a small smile. "Sure, Perce," she said and guided him outside to the quiet hallway, where they could be alone. When they got there, she noticed that the runningback couldn't meet her gaze.

She just looked up at him silently as she waited for him to say something. Anything. When he finally did, he offered her the smallest of smiles.

"I...I miss you," he said softly as his gaze fell. "And I understand Luke doesn't want us talking. I understand it completely and I..." he trailed off and looked down. She could almost see the gears turning inside his head. "I just wanted to apologize," he said after a moment. "For...everything. The kiss and just everything."

He was playing with his hoodie strings in a typical Percy-ish way, his hands always needing to stay busy. She got a flashback to their study sessions, when he would constantly be playing with his pencil and drumming it against the table.

She remembered one time in particular, when he looked lost in thought and continued to drum the pencil on the table long past the amount he usually did, and she could tell he was thinking about something in particular that was bothering him.

She set her pencil down and looked up at him, seeing his brow furrowed and his gaze set on his notebook. She reached over and gently touched her fingers to his forearm, making him look up at her. "Hey, you okay?"

His eyes widened for a moment before he nodded, though the look in his eyes made it appear as though he didn't even believe himself. She pouted, giving him a look, and he sighed, dropping his head.

"Just thinking about stuff," he admitted with a small sigh. "I haven't gotten many offers to play for colleges yet, and...if I don't get offers I can't go to college," he told her. "My mom doesn't have enough money just yet, and I don't have enough saved up..." She could tell his mind was racing a thousand miles an hour, and she bit her lip as she moved her hand to cover his, the drumming of his pencil on the table finally stopping.

His hands were warm and weirdly soft, and when Annabeth got a mental image of Percy moisturizing, she had to stifle a smile. "Hey, don't worry about it," she said soothingly. "Offers are gonna come. You have so much time for them, Perce."

She could still see a bit of uncertainty in his eyes, and she gently rubbed her thumb along the back of his hand as comfortingly as she could. "And trust me, any school would be lucky to have you." It was such a simple thing to say, but she could see the tension release from his shoulders and a calmness spread through his features.

He nodded, and gave her a small smile before his eyes fell to her hand that was still resting over top of his. "Thanks, Annabeth," he mumbled before he gave her a genuine smile.

She smiled and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Of course, seaweed brain."

She was ripped out of her memories when Percy placed a gentle hand on her arm, giving her a sheepish smile. "But aside from that, you played so well tonight. Thanks for just...hearing me out," he said with a small laugh, pulling his hand back.

In that moment, the absence of his touch wore her down. As she looked into those green eyes of his, she felt at home. She felt comfort and warmth from every time he had been there for her when she was sad. She felt happiness from every day they'd spent together doing homework and watching him play video games with her little brothers.

She felt everything all at once, and really questioned why she'd ever let him go. Before he could do a thing, her arms were wrapped around him, her face tucked into his neck, and he froze up.

She wondered if she had gone too far, but then his arms wrapped around her and his chin rested on her shoulder. "I missed you, wise girl," he mumbled softly. She just laughed and shook her head. "I missed you too."

It was a moment later that she pulled back, and she caught a glimpse of his usual sunny smile, and her heart warmed. She really had missed him, though she was still torn whether her relationship or this friendship was worth more to her. She didn't even understand why that had to be a choice, but it was.

She had a lot to think about.


	10. Chapter 10

Annabeth's week went out fine enough. She had reconciled things with Percy after the game on Friday, and then had a girls' night with Piper and Hazel where'd they just watched movies and relaxed.

Saturday and Sunday practices went good, the later practice followed by a study session with Percy. Her brothers had really missed her friend, and both were thoroughly excited to see him when he came into the house.

She talked to Luke on FaceTime almost every night, and things were good. She was happy. Happier than she had been in a while.

They won their game that week against the Jackson Tigers, her and Percy were studying again, Luke and her were good, and things were great.

Up until that Friday.

The boys had an away football game that they won, and when they got back Drew threw a big party. Annabeth was hanging out with Piper and Hazel while waiting for the boys to arrive, and she got the text from Luke: 'Can I call you?'

She was all smiles as she hopped up and ran out to the back patio to call him, thinking he just wanted to talk, until he started speaking. It all seemed to go by quickly for her. "Not gonna work out...too much distance...too busy...still want to talk...I'll always love you..."

She was in shock, frankly. What was she even supposed to say for that? Annabeth was never one to openly display her emotions, and even then it was rarely.

She was just shocked.

They'd only dated for about 5 months or so, but it felt like so much longer. They'd been talking for years, had been childhood friends... And now she was just supposed to throw that away. She remembered him saying he still wanted to be friends, and she remembered herself agreeing.

When she spoke she sounded as if someone had pressed down on her lungs and squeezed every single bit of air out of them. The phone call must've only lasted a few minutes at most, but it felt like years. When he finally did leave, she slipped her phone back into her pocket and walked inside, her face stony.

Inside she was breaking. Everything felt as if it was in pain.

She walked straight to the kitchen and grabbed the first drink she saw, gulping it down within seconds. She was four drinks in and getting her fifth when Piper walked in, smiling to herself. "Hey, Beth, the boys are-" she stopped in the middle of her sentence when she saw Annabeth.

They'd been best friends for some time, and she could clearly read the emotions in the blonde's eyes. Something was wrong and she knew it. Piper rested her hand on her friend's arm, biting her lip. "What's wrong?" she asked softly, her brow furrowed.

Annabeth drank down the fifth cup before she set it down, staring at the floor for a moment. The alcohol hasn't hit her yet, but she knew it would in a bit.

"Luke just, uh...broke up with me," she mumbled, not even wanting to say it out loud. It made her feel sick to her stomach. Piper sucked in a breath, and the blonde couldn't even meet her gaze. "Oh, Beth," she said softly as she walked forward, tentatively touching her arm. "If there's anything I can-"

"I'm fine!" the blonde snapped, getting herself another drink. She couldn't even meet her friend's gaze. She couldn't look up. "I'm fine." She looked down before chugging it, setting it down.

She was drinking to get drunk, and the brunette could tell.

Piper sighed and patted her friend's shoulder. "Alright. I'll give you a ride home whenever you're ready," she assures with a small smile before she walked out.

There's not much she could do. Her friend was too stubborn to admit needing help. Annabeth just needed to ride it out however she saw fit. The blonde was alone once more, and she grabbed another drink, leaning against the counter as she sighed.

It was gonna be a long night.

* * *

Percy arrived to the party with his normal crew of Jason, Leo, and Frank, and as soon as they got in the door they all dispersed to find whoever they were there for. Percy, of course, made a beeline to find Annabeth, which he eventually did.

She was seated on the kitchen floor, gripping a red plastic cup in her fingers like it was a lifeline. He could smell the booze on her from five feet away, and his nose wrinkled. She never drank this much. "Hey, Annabeth," he said with a smile as he went to stand in front of her. "I have to tell you about this dude in the other team, it was nuts. He-"

He was cut off shortly after by the girl in question, looking up at him with a glare. "You," She slurred as she struggled to get to her feet, having to pull herself up entirely with the countertop. "I-it's your fault."

His brow furrowed confusedly. "Uh...what is?" he asked curiously. She lurched forward, her face set into a deep scowl as she jammed a finger into his chest. "Luke and I."

She was cut off but a nasty sounding burp that made Percy think she was going to throw up on him, though it passed as she glared at him again.

Wait...what?

He just stared at her, his eyes wide. "Wait, what happened?" She sneered and rolled her eyes, stumbling away as she went towards the fridge. "Y-you heard me, asshole," she grumbled as she went to pour herself another drink from some bottles on the counter.

While she was pouring stuff, he walked towards her, gently touching her shoulder. "Hey, maybe you shouldn't drink anymore," he said gently. What he definitely wasn't expecting was for her to turn to him and throw the entire drink into his face.

His eyes and mouth were both open, so he got a nice taste of vodka and lemonade in his mouth and a stinging sensation in his eyes. He stumbled back, crying out in surprise as he raised his hands to his eyes, furiously rubbing at them with his sleeves to try and ease the stinging.

"Y-you asshole," she snarled, throwing the plastic cup at him. It hit him harmlessly in the chest, but he backed up nonetheless. "What? What are you talking about?" he pleaded, wincing as he wiped his face with the sleeves of his hoodie.

She gave him a murderous glare, and it was the first time he was afraid that she was going to actually kill him. "Y-you're the reason Luke broke up with me." He froze, and his eyes widened.

That, he didn't know how to respond to. "Wait, he broke up with you?" he asked as she took a step toward him, her face set into a scowl, her eyes fading in and out of focus. "Yeah, he did," she mutter, taking a swing at him.

It was a clumsy shot and he didn't even have to move, since she appeared to try to hit the air a foot to his left. "It's your fault. If you hadn't butted in, we would've been fine."

He understood she was just drunk, but there was genuine venom dripping from her voice. Wait...did she really think that?

She took another swing at him, and managed to get his shoulder. He sighed and gently grabbed her wrist, making sure she couldn't keep hitting him. "Hey, listen, I'm so sorry that happened," he said gently. "And I'm so sorry that it was my fault."

Truthfully, he didn't know if it even was his fault. Was that really Luke's reasoning? She snarled and jerked her hand away from his grip, pushing him hard in the chest for someone so intoxicated. "G-get the fuck away from me, right now!" she yelled, which began to attract attention.

He vaguely heard a lull from the rest of the people in the kitchen as well as those that could see them from outside the doorway in the living room. "Get away!" she yelled again, punching him hard in the chest.

He stumbled back a step, his lungs tightening up. What did he do?

As Annabeth continued cussing at him, rage filling every inch of her body, Percy felt a gentle hand on his arm. He arched his head to see Piper was the one who touched him, and saw Jason behind her with a look of confusion on his face.

Piper gave him a small smile and squeezed his arm. "Hey, it's gonna be alright. Let me handle this. I'll get her home alright. Why don't you head out with the guys, and I'll let you know what happens."

She had such a way of calming people down, and Percy's heart stopping beating so hard and fast at the simple sound of her voice. He just nodded, casting one last longing look at Annabeth before he walked over to Jason.

His cousin wrapped his arm around his shoulders, smiling. "Hey, c'mon. Leo and Frank are going to the car. We're gonna go chill at my place."

Percy just nodded, offering a small smile, and even as he left he could hear Annabeth cursing in the kitchen.

* * *

Piper had known Annabeth for years, ever since they were kids at summer camp together and Annabeth had stolen her juice box at breakfast one morning. She protested for a moment before the two became friends.

What a ride.

She had been with her through everything, from her parents' divorce to losing the state finals to when she broke up with her first boyfriend around the beginning of high school. Even through all of that, Piper had never seen her friend this upset.

Annabeth had this way of repressing her emotions, feeling the need to be and be seen as strong, and it wasn't the healthiest thing.

She was pretty far gone at the point where Piper was buckling the blonde into her car, her face set in a deep scowl and her clothes and breath reeking of booze. "I don't want to leave," the blonde complained as Piper slammed the door and walked around.

"I know, Beth," she sighed as she started up the car. "We're just gonna get you back to my place and let you sober up, alright? It's gonna be okay." She tried to make herself sound as soothing as possible, and she just had to hope and pray that it was actually working.

Her friend did quiet down over in the passenger seat, and opted to just stare out the window during the ride, which Piper figured was better than her swearing like a sailor.

She was glad Jason was there to handle Percy. They both knew that the raven-haired boy was into Annabeth, and the drink getting thrown on him and the cussing him out did a number on his sanity. Jason quickly offered to take his cousin home, which Piper was grateful for.

She missed the days where all of them could hang out together. She knew it would happen soon enough; that it would just take time and maybe some divine intervention.

When Piper pulled into her driveway, she turned the car off and went around to retrieve her drunk friend. The blonde could barely stand on her own, leaving heavily onto her friend as they headed inside together.

Piper walked them up to her room and set her friend on the bed before she walked to find her a change of clothes. They stayed in a state of comfortable silence together. Piper knew that if Annabeth wanted to talk about anything, she would.

What she definitely didn't want to do was press the freshly dumped girl into talking about feelings she didn't want to address. That is what she called a surefire way to get punched in the face by a feisty blonde drunk.

So, she got her a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt, helping her change out of her nice party clothes into the comfy ones before laying the blonde down in the bed.

Piper got her a glass of water and some medicine before she changed into her own pajamas. A calm silence still filled the room, and it was only broken when Piper flicked the light off and walked over to the bed.

That's when she heard quiet crying coming from where Annabeth was cuddled up under the blanket.

Piper's heart broke into a thousand pieces as she sat next to her friend, wrapping her arms around her. Neither of them spoke. They didn't need to. The contact and the notion of being there and being supportive was all the blonde needed.

She curled into her friend's arms and let herself cry for the first time since the initial call. She let everything out. Piper was glad she finally was letting herself feel something.

She would be there for her anytime she needed it, and was grateful that she was one of the people Annabeth felt comfortable enough around to let herself go.

The only words she ever spoke to her that night were when she finally stopped crying, laying there as a sniffling mess. Piper just gave her a tight hug and sighed gently, staring off into the darkness.

"This'll pass. You're going to get through this. It's all gonna be okay" The brunette smiled softly and looked down, vaguely seeing the figure of her heartbroken friend curled up tightly under the covers.

"You're the strongest person I know."

* * *

Annabeth felt numb. She wasn't even distinctly upset or sad or anything. Just empty, like her heart and her brain had just decided to take a sudden and indefinite vacation from her body.

She didn't want to eat. She didn't want to get out of bed. She didn't want to do anything but sit and stare at the ceiling.

It even took too much to make her brain work. But, she had to keep moving. She couldn't shut down. Not entirely anyway, and not during the time where she needed to be studying, practicing, or anything else.

So, she went to school. She went to practice. She smiled, she laughed, she talked like normal. Every time she was alone though, she felt everything weighing down on her.

Her smile melted from her face within seconds, her shoulders sagged, her mind took off again and she fell into a state of not being able to comprehend anything. Like when she sunk into the drivers seat of her car after practices, she just stared at the steering wheel for a solid few minutes, unable to even move to turn the car on.

She had to force herself to move, to turn the key, to start driving home. It was the same way when she parked in her driveway. The same lifeless, dead stare at her steering wheel.

It was tiring pretending to be okay. Exhausting, in fact. Everything hurt. Every step, every breath. Her lungs felt like they were full of shattered glass. Every smile felt like it sapped every single bit of whatever strength she had left in her body.

She couldn't eat much when she was at school, and she didn't eat anything when she was home. She just drank Gatorade at practice and hoped it had enough calories and sugar to keep her going for another day.

Some people might ask, "What's the big deal? You only dated him for a few months, it's not the end of the world." Yeah, they pose a good point. She understood that.

They hadn't dated for long, but they had been best friends forever. Ever since she was a little kid. Luke was all she'd ever known. He was her rock. To everyone around her she was strong, a leader, someone to depend on. She rarely found people she could lean on, and Luke was the main one. Her best friend.

What did she do wrong for him to leave like that? What was wrong with her? If he couldn't love her, how could anyone else? It gave her a lot more worries and a lot more questions than a breakup should.

That week went by slowly. Too slow for comfort. Every day was painful. Percy hadn't talked to her at all. He couldn't even look at her. Every day in calculus she would give him a quick glance, and every time she looked he was staring straight ahead at Ms. Dodds. At every class's end, he would stand right up and leave, one of the first out the door.

She couldn't blame him. After the stunt she had pulled at the party, she would've avoided herself too.

Aside from school, even every volleyball practice was excruciating. Even on game day that Thursday she could barely function. She forced herself to keep going, but she was severely subdued from her usual intense self.

Her coach noticed and sat her the third set against the Redwood Raiders. When she protested, Kim just held up a hand to her and went back to coaching.

Following their victory, she walked over to Annabeth, who was still sitting on the bench, and set a hand on her shoulder. "Listen, dear," her coach said in a soft voice, more caring than she'd ever heard. "You don't need to say anything. I know something is going on."

She sat beside her in the next chair and sighed, staring out across the gym where players and people were talking and the JV team was taking down the nets. "You've been off during practices, and you weren't all there tonight."

She looked over at the blonde and offered a small smile. "Take tomorrow off, alright? Get yourself in order and come back on Saturday."

Annabeth wanted to protest, but she couldn't. She just nodded weakly and dropped her head, staring down at her feet. Her coach stood, placing a hand on her player's back. "It does get better. Just keep up that Annabeth strength we all know and love," she said with a smile before she walked off, and the blonde was alone again.

She eventually did drag herself to her feet and to the locker room. She changed as fast as possible and headed out a back door to her car so she wouldn't have to see anyone.

Mainly Percy, but she didn't think she'd have a problem with that again. He hadn't even so much as looked at her all week. She didn't blame him, though.

On her drive home, she felt even more hollow inside. She should've been happy. They'd won tonight, they were still undefeated, and she didn't have to bother with practice tomorrow, yet she felt worse than ever. What were the odds of that?

She just spent most of her time thinking up ways to forget her problems, and most of the time she settled on drinking. Her parents would kill her if they found her taking alcohol from their stash, so instead she just decided to wait for the weekend, when she knew there'd be a massive party where she could get trashed and forget everything.

She just had to wait for the day to come. Somehow that was the worst part.


	11. Chapter 11

Percy hated parties. He went to them all the time, but it was more of a social thing for him rather than getting wasted or high or anything. This particular party was a little too big and crowded and loud for his liking.

Selena's parents were out of town, it was after a big game, and no one had anything planned. So naturally, all those factors added up to create one of the biggest parties Goode would see that year.

He'd also been trying to spot Annabeth the entire night, since he'd seen her signature silver Honda parked a ways down the street, but he'd yet to find her. They hadn't spoken since the incident at the party the previous week.

Whenever he thought about it his eyes stung, like she'd thrown fresh vodka lemonade in them. He just thought she needed space, which was a bit hard for him. So, yeah. He was feeling a little let down.

Why did he want to see her after that? He had no clue. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to talk to her, so much as see if she was okay.

What just made matters worse was when Percy was on his fifth red Solo cup of Coke and whatever alcohol he could find to mix with it and someone who'd taken spin the bottle a little too far was pushed away from the group. The guy slammed into him and sent Percy's brand new, full cup flying out of his hand and against the wall.

That's when the dark-haired teen decided that he was done drinking for the night. He rarely drank, but when he did it was mainly to get his mind off something. He had no idea what this something was this time, but he believed he just wanted to stop thinking in general. Plus, he was already a good, decent amount of drunk.

The noise and hustle around him suddenly seemed too loud, so he stepped down a quiet hallway to try and get away from it. Soon, it was a dull thrumming noise in the back of his head as he navigated down the dark hallway.

He knew there was a bathroom at the end of ot, and that's where he planned to sit and wait out this party. At least until he felt calm enough to return to it.

He opened the door to the bathroom, hoping no one was in there. But that's where he found Annabeth, seated on the floor with a cup held in her fingers and a blank expression on her face.

He was at a loss for words for a moment as her slightly glazed-over eyes raised to look at him. They had barely spoken to one another the past week or so since Luke had ended things. He felt his heart ache slightly as he saw her.

He had no clue what to do. He felt confused for a bit, trying to process what was going on. It was hard for him to process anything at this point, but she definitely looked like a mess.

The silence between them was eventually broken by Percy clearing his throat and offering a sheepish smile. "Mind if I come in?" She managed the smallest of smiles, nodding her consent before Percy closed the door behind him and clumsily sat down beside the blonde on the cold tiled floor. It was honestly more of a controlled fall to the ground.

He gave her a small smile as he leaned back against the wall, letting out a soft sigh. He could see the remains of mascara that had run down her cheeks, and how her hair was disheveled and messy in an entirely un-Annabeth way. But most importantly he could see how forced her smile was.

"Hey, Percy," she said in a quiet voice, sniffling and reaching a hand up to rub her eyes while the other one continued to grip the red plastic cup. It was obvious she was tipsy from drinking too much.

It's not like he blamed her. If the love of his life had dumped him out of nowhere, he'd probably be even more of a wreck. He smiled in greeting and sighed as he just looked at her. She gave him a sheepish, absent smile. "I...I know how pathetic this looks," she admitted with a shrug.

Her eyes were unfocused, staring at something on the opposite side of the room that wasn't actually there. "I just needed to forget."

Her voice was quiet and tentative, her fingers aimlessly tracing around the rim of her cup. He was shocked that she had been able to go to school while being this...broken. He felt awful. The breakup with Luke was...too sudden. Too random. Too uncalled for. No one was prepared or ready for it. Percy had doubts Luke himself was even ready for that decision.

"I can't believe it," she chuckled, her eyes becoming misty. Her words were slightly slurred, and it seemed as if it took a decent amount of effort for her to to get them out. "Like even now, I just...I keep thinking about getting to go home and call him. And then I realize that I can't."

She gave him a sheepish smile, sighing as she downed the rest of the liquid from her cup before she set it aside on the tiled floor. He could see tears welling in her eyes, and he hesitated for only a moment before he shifted over so he was directly beside her.

He wrapped his arm tentatively around her shoulders and felt her body stiffen for only a moment before she melted against his side. She buried her face into his shoulder while she wrapped her arms around her knees, letting out sobs that were so broken and sad that they gave Percy chest pains.

"Listen," he said softly as he brushed his fingers through her messy blonde hair. "I know it's shitty right now, but it's gonna be okay. I know it will be."

He drew her closer to himself as one of her hands shifted to fist in his shirt, tugging on the fabric slightly as she cried. Her voice was muffled and he could feel her tears dampening his shirt. "Annabeth, honestly, he didn't deserve you," Percy said softly.

Now, where his honesty and confidence come from, he had no idea. Whether it was the alcohol, how close the two had gotten in the past few weeks (and how distant they'd gotten in the past week), or some other factor, he let himself speak his mind. It turns out it would be the most sober thing he'd said all night.

"You're one of the most incredible girls at Goode," he assured her quietly. "Anywhere, really. You're the captain of the volleyball team, and you've been to the state championship tournament all four years of your career. You've gotten scholarships to some of the best colleges in the country. Everyone loves you to death, Annabeth."

He could feel her shaking body start to relax, and her sobs subsided into light sniffles and whimpers into his shoulder. "I mean literally everyone. You're so kind, and smart, and funny, but especially kind. You can make anyone feel like...like they matter. I can't tell you how many times you've made me feel...content. Made me feel happy."

He was staring intently down at his scuffed black Nikes, but he could see her peek up from his shirt, her stormy grey eyes focused on him as she choked down quiet sniffles. "A-and, I..."

He found it hard to find the necessary words. His face turned red, and he felt fidgety. But he had to say it to her. "Annabeth," he said in one of the softest voices he'd ever spoken in. "You're gorgeous. You...I can't even describe it."

He cut himself off with a small chuckle, and he could hear her quiet down again as she hung on every single one of his slightly (more than slightly) drunk words. "It-it all drives me insane. The way your hair curls up when you don't straighten it, th-the way you smile at everyone and everything, and the way you look after a hard practice and you're all sweaty and tired but you still look incredible, a-and..."

Whether he was stammering from the alcohol or just being nervous, he didn't appreciate it. He paused for a second to look down into her eyes, a sheepish smile on his face. "Your eyes. They're so dark and intense and beautiful. And I've never seen anything or anyone more perfect in my whole life."

Even though he had never planned on telling her all that, every single word he'd spoken was true. He'd been thinking about it a lot more than he probably should have, and he just needed to be more than slightly drunk to reveal it.

Annabeth's eyes were tinted red and her cheeks were blotchy from her crying, but she had a small smile on her lips that made Percy feel like a million bucks. They were so close together, his arm around her shoulders, and her fingers pressed up against his side. All he could focus on was those stormy eyes of hers, so he was a little taken aback when she leaned in and pushed her lips against his.

He was so shocked he couldn't move - his muscles failed him and he was left paralyzed. If he could feel any kind of emotion or anything in that kiss, he felt loneliness. Sadness. Desperation.

He hesitated for a moment, thinking about whether or not he should kiss back. He knew she was hurting and a little more than just tipsy, and that she was probably using him as emotional consolation, but his mind was muddy. It wasn't long before he let his eyes drift shut and he kissed her back, drawing her closer to his chest.

Her fingers slid up to run through his thick, already-messy hair and they pressed closer, sitting there on the bathroom floor while the biggest party of the year raged on outside the door. Her fingers slid from his hair down to the hem of his shirt, pushing it up so she could drag her fingers across his toned chest and stomach.

He shivered at the cold touch of her fingertips, and he felt her giggle a little into the kiss. She pulled away from him, and he immediately hated every inch of the newfound space between them. She grabbed his hand and urged him to his feet with some difficulty.

"Where are...where are we going?" he asked with a small smile as he latched onto her hand while she struggled with the door handle. "Shhhh," she said to him through a smile, finally managing to open the bathroom door. "J-just come on." They both laughed at one another before she before pulled him out of the bathroom and towards the stairs on the other side of the hall.

He was feeling more and more out of it with every passing second, and by the time they got upstairs and Annabeth had pulled him into a bedroom, he was struggling to walk in a straight line. He barely registered her locking the door behind them and pushing him onto the bed, her movements fumbling as she pulled off his shirt and tossed it aside.

"A-are you sure?" he mumble to her as she managed to pull off her dress, so she was left in nothing but a bra and underwear. She nodded, giving him a warm smile as she brushed her fingers across his cheek and down his chest. "Yeah. I am."

And this was the last thing he recalled clearly about that night: Annabeth Chase giving him her signature sunny smile before she leaned in to kiss him once more, his fingers dragging through her wavy blonde hair like he'd been wanting to do for ages.

* * *

Percy had always heard those cheesy stories about the morning after a drunken hookup. The thing was that he'd always been laughing at them, like "Who could be that irresponsible?" or something else related to being dumb and drunk. Yet when his eyes opened, he realized a few distinct things all within several seconds.

The first was that he wasn't in his bedroom. His bedroom was a bit small, painted blue, and was endlessly messy. This room was big and spacious, with a large bed, painted and decorated in all light, rosy colors and dark wood.

The second was that he had a pounding headache. As he said before, he never drank, but when he did it was to forget. And how could one possibly forget their troubles without a large quantity of alcohol?

The third thing was that he was naked. He could see several hickeys scattered across his collarbones and his chest, and he just knew there were more on his neck that he couldn't see. He saw some of his clothes draped along the edge of the bed, and when he angled his head he could see the rest on the floor in a heap. But...there were more. Was that a bra?

This, of course, led into the fourth and final realization, which was possibly the most shocking: he wasn't alone in that bed.

He registered a warm presence beside him, the feeling of someone's hair brushing against his chin, and someone's warm breath cascading across his chest and neck. This someone's arm was draped across his chest, and he realized that they were naked as well.

His eyes widened as he began to recall what had happened the night before in the bathroom, and when he looked down, he realized who was laying naked in his arms. Annabeth.

He froze up as she snuggled up to him, her breathing soft and even as she tightened her grip around his middle. "Oh, fuck," he muttered to himself as he racked his brain to try and think of a way out of his current situation.

He was already flustered enough, but it became ten times worse when the blonde's eyes opened up and her breathing hitched.

He knew she was going through the same mental checklist he had only moments before, and when she raised her head to look at him, he gave a sheepish smile and a shrug. "Uh...hi, Annabeth," he muttered as he let his arms fall from around her.

She hesitated, trying to find the right words, before she sighed softly and sat up, pulling the sheets around her to cover herself up. "Uh...we...we should talk about this," she muttered softly to him, standing and hurriedly throwing on her nice clothes from the night before.

He turned to give her some privacy, managing to snag his boxers from the frame at the bottom of the bed and pulling them on. "Y-yeah...definitely," he agreed softly as he scrambled around to find his jeans.

He only found them when Annabeth, half dressed in her own underwear and bra, handed them to him. He gripped them in his hand and gave her a slight grimace. "Um...first off, I'm so sorry," he apologized quietly. "I didn't...I don't think either of us knew what we were doing."

He turned away to tug his pants on, buttoning them up with a sigh. "I really...I've enjoyed hanging out with you the past month, and I really don't want this to be ruined because I messed up." He turned and gave her a bit of a helpless look before he tried to find his t-shirt. "Just...know that I'm so-"

He was cut off by a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to look up at her. She was mostly dressed, and she had a small smile on her face. "Percy, stop apologizing," she said softly as she reached up to brush some of his hair back from his forehead.

He didn't want to say that he really enjoyed her touch, but he did.

"I...I wanted this. It's kind of exactly what I wanted, y'know?" she said with a small chuckle. "Something...someone to get my mind off of Luke. Something easy." She gently ran her fingertips down from his jawline to rest against his chest, and he couldn't help but chuckle.

Just her simple smile was enough to put him at ease. Don't get him wrong, he still felt like he'd just gone and ingested a gallon of espresso, but it was a little better. "So don't apologize. And, uh, in fact..."

She hesitated and seemed a bit unsure of herself. What was she thinking? Percy thought to himself as he took in her eyes, flickering back and forth as if she was in a state of internal conflict.

It took her a moment to compose herself and consider her words before she continued again. Maybe she didn't even know what she was thinking. "If you would want to, maybe we could like...keep doing this?" she suggested, looking up at him with a sheepish smile. "I've never actually asked someone to be my hookup, but..."

She dissolved into soft laughter and it was enough for him to smile too. He could relate to that. It's not like he went around finding random girls to have sex with whenever either of them wanted it. He'd always told himself he would get too attached. Well, hopefully he had been wrong about that. If not, it would suck.

He considered her words momentarily before he nodded, giving her a sheepish smile. "Yeah, definitely. I'd like that." He found himself panicking a bit. Did he sound too eager? Was that kind of creepy? Shit, he wasn't good with girls.

She nodded nonetheless and gave Percy a smile. He took note of the red tint to her cheeks, and the way her smile carried all the way into her eyes. "Great. That makes it easier," she laughed with a nonchalant shrug. "After Luke, I...I don't know if I'm ready for another serious, immediate relationship, you know?" She said it all with a smile, though he could see how her brow slightly furrowed.

He knew she was still hurting over her breakup, but she had a lot of varied ways to cope with it. Like staying after volleyball practice for an extra hour to run and lift weights. Or like hooking up with a random dude at a party. "It's really nice to have something like this. Like friends with benefits except we can still hang out. And you can take me out to dinner."

She grinned playfully, and he couldn't help but nod in agreement with a laugh. Was it nice? He had no clue. Maybe, or maybe not. "So I'm basically your boyfriend without actually being your boyfriend," he summed up, causing both of them to laugh, while she nodded and shrugged. "Basically," she agreed with a smile, leaning up to kiss his cheek.

Should I really feel this flustered? he thought to himself with a grin, hoping he wasn't blushing. "Just try not to fall in love with me then, Chase," he joked with a grin.

She pushed his chest lightly and they both laughed again. Her laugh was clear and more happy than he had heard in a while, and her hand was still braced against his chest.

And in that moment, all he could think about was how beautiful she looked with her curly, messy, blonde bedhead and that big smile on her face, and a fifth realization hit him.

Screw getting attached later on, because he already was. He was falling for her. The one girl he had just agreed not to get feelings for.


	12. Chapter 12

Come school on Wednesday, Percy found himself focusing on Annabeth. Not really about their friends with benefits status, but just about her in general. To be honest, he'd been thinking about her Monday and Tuesday too.

She was just so great. Even if they were just...a fling. Not that he wanted to think about that, though.

The volleyball team had a game that day in a neighboring town that was less than an hour away, so himself, Jason, Leo, and Frank all planned on going to watch. What with Jason being Goode's resident lover boy and Frank and Hazel's new relationship just blossoming, they were both excited to go cheer their girls on. Leo was just tagging along because he said he liked looking at all the girls in spandex, which none of them doubted.

And honestly, Percy kind of had a girl to cheer on too. Was it weird that just thinking about that made him smile?

The game started at seven, so the group had plenty of time to finish up at football practice before they drove over there. So, when they finished their drills, they all changed into jeans and whatever Goode apparel they had on them and headed out in Jason's car.

It was a short drive, most of the ride spent discussing how their football game that Friday would go and how the other team's season was going. All of that stuff. When they got to the other team's school, they headed in and paid for tickets before finding a good spot in the bleachers where all the other Shark fans were seated.

Both teams were in the middle of warming up, Goode in their blue jerseys and the opposing team, the Clearwater Marlins, in their white ones. Percy could see Annabeth warming up hitting, and she looked like a million bucks, as always.

He was just in time to see her approach the net and slam a ball down that hit directly on the boundary line, resulting in cheers from her teammates. She got this amazing smile on her face as she received high-fives and pats on the back.

She glanced over towards the stands as if she was looking for someone. Her eyes flitted around until they came to rest on Percy. He saw something almost like disappointment flash across her face, but he blinked and suddenly it was gone. He must've imagined it.

She must just be in the zone. He gave her a warm smile and a little wave, and she returned it with a nod of her head before she continued through the hitting line. Soon enough, the buzzer went off to signify the end of the warmup time, and the game began.

* * *

It ended about how everyone thought it would - a three-set shutout with the Sharks destroying the Marlins. They retreated to the locker room after the finish of the game, the crowd cheering and clapping excitedly. After the players came out from the locker room, the their families and friends came down to greet them, talking and laughing as they discussed the game or took pictures.

When Annabeth came out, Percy walked over with a grin. "Hey," he said with a bright smile as he brought her into a tight hug. "You did so amazing." It was only a moment before she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and he heard her laugh softly. "Thanks, fish boy."

Before they separated, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek, smiling warmly. She had a smile on her face but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Something seemed wrong, but didn't want to press and ask for too much from her. She just seemed sad.

So, Percy just offered to take her bag for her, because it seemed like a gentlemanly thing to do. She hesitated before almost reluctantly handing it over to him. "You know you don't have to carry it for me," she said with a slight chuckle as he slung it over his shoulder.

He shrugged as they both went to walk out together, towards their friends, who were gathered by the door leading out of the gym. "I don't have to, but I want to. You played hard and you look exhausted," he said with a warm smile.

She chuckled and lightly shoved him in response. She seemed to be feeling a little bit better, which he was happy about. "Thanks, Percy. That makes me feel so great," she said jokingly.

The runningback felt her small hand touch his, and he smiled as he grabbed it and intertwined their fingers. "You still look great," he reassured her with a laugh. "Like at least a solid, disheveled six."

He was greeted by another laugh and this time a swat to his chest. They rejoined their friends and all of them headed outside together. It turned out Hazel's brother Nico had come to watch, so Hazel, Frank, and Leo all moved over to ride home with him. That left Percy, Jason, Piper, and Annabeth to ride home together in the quarterback's car.

Piper called shotgun right before they got there, to Percy's dismay, so when they did finally start driving, it was Goode's newest power couple up front and Percy and Annabeth in the backseat.

It had grown dark outside during the game since it was quite late, and everyone stayed pretty quiet for the most part. Jason played some music softly from the speakers as he held hands and spoke with Piper, both of their voices hushed and quiet.

The blonde team captain stayed quiet beside Percy, her hands in her lap and her eyes trained out the window, watching the bright lights of cars passing on the opposite side of the road when there were any and the forests and fields they drove past otherwise.

For someone who'd just won a big game, she seemed rather morose. Something was up with her, and Percy was worried. He didn't know if she wanted to talk about it or not, and he half wondered if it was because of him.

She had said she didn't want anything resembling a relationship, and here he was coming to her games and kissing her on the cheek and giving her hugs.

Was he moving too fast? Was he the problem? Or was it something with volleyball? He had no clue. He just wanted her to be happy.

He hesitated for a bit before he reached over and rested his hand on her arm. "Hey, are you okay?" His voice almost seemed too loud for the quiet mood that had settled in the car. She raised her head and even in the dim light, he could see the intensity of her grey eyes.

She broke into a little smile and nodded. "Yeah, I'm alright," she said, her voice soft. He gave her a look, silently trying to tell her that he knew she wasn't okay. She gave him a sheepish smile and chuckled. "I am, Percy."

She hesitated a little bit before she unbuckled her seatbelt and slid over so she was beside him in the backseat. "I'm just a little bit tired." She rested her head against his shoulder, letting out a soft sigh of content as she cuddled against his side.

All he could do was smile as he shifted his arm so he could wrap it around her, pulling her a bit closer as she closed her eyes. "Go ahead and sleep. We still have a bit of a drive," he told her in a soft voice before he leaned down to press a kiss to her head.

As he was looking down at her, he could have sworn he had seen a smile playing on her lips. It was only a few moments later that she was asleep against his shoulder.

* * *

Annabeth woke up a half hour or so later to Percy gently shaking her shoulder, giving her a sheepish smile. "We're here," he said in a hushed voice.

She was still tucked up to his side with her cheek resting on his shoulder and his arm wrapped around her body. She was warm, comfortable, groggy, and she definitely didn't feel like moving.

"I'm tired," she mumbled in a soft voice as she buried her face into his shoulder, stifling a yawn. He laughed a little and brushed his fingers through her hair, nodding his head with a grin. "I know, but Jason and Piper are leaving soon. Get out and head over to my car. I'm giving you a ride home."

She eventually raised her head and pouted at him, though she nodded. He grinned at her in response and kissed her cheek. He removed his arm from around her with a smile before he unbuckled his seatbelt and clambered out of the car.

She immediately felt cold after the removal of his arm from around her and she also kind of out of it since she'd just woken up, so she just rubbed her eyes and pulled up the hood of her sweatshirt as she fumbled around and managed to get out, wrapping her arms around herself as Percy walked around to get her bag from the trunk of Jason's car.

The boys had all left from the high school together after practice, so that's where Jason dropped off everyone. And when Annabeth said everyone, she meant Percy and herself. Since Piper was still out cold in the front seat, he volunteered himself to take her home.

Percy was fumbling with the latch on the trunk as Jason got out of the car. The blonde quarterback leaned against the car beside Annabeth and chuckled as his friend finally managed to get the trunk open, and he gave them a big grin.

"I can now definitely say that you're smarter than the trunk of my car, Perce," Jason said with a smile as the runningback retrieved Annabeth's bag from the cluttered trunk. "Dammit Jason, you need to clean up your shit," he muttered in response as he held up an old football cleat and wrinkled his nose at the smell it gave off.

The quarterback just shrugged and laughed a little to himself, waving a hand in dismissal. "That's a job for another night," he grinned as Percy tossed the shoe back into the trunk and slammed it shut.

Jason's eyes shifted to Annabeth and he smiled, patting her back. "You did amazing tonight," he told her with a smile before he clapped Percy on the shoulder. "Alright, Pipes and I will see you two tomorrow at school," he said before he walked around to his door again and clambered onto the car.

Percy muttered something in response about how toxic his feet smelled as he smacked the back window the car. As Jason drove off and left the parking lot, Annabeth's gaze shifted to the dark-haired boy beside her.

All she had been able to think about at the game and in the car was how amazing he looked. He drove her crazy, with those gorgeous green eyes and how messy yet perfect-looking his hair was.

His gaze shifted down to her and he smiled, nodding in the direction of his car. "C'mon. I'll give you a ride home. It's late and you're tired." She simply nodded, too groggy to actually argue as she followed him.

He clicked a button to unlock the car, humming to himself as he tossed her bag into the backseat before climbing into the front and started it up. When Annabeth climbed into the passenger seat, she was greeted by quiet music coming from the speakers and an air freshener that smelled like laundry detergent.

He saw her sniffing and he grinned, slamming his door shut. "You like it? My mom got it for me. Said my car smelled like feet or something." He chuckled as he buckled himself in. "Aren't I a hypocrite?"

Annabeth found herself giggling at his stupid joke, and she was shocked. She never giggled at a guy's joke like one of those typical girls. Until now anyway.

She glanced over at him while he shuffled through his music tying to find a good song to play, smiling down at his phone, and she found herself staring.

In the dim light cast by the various lights on the dashboard, he looked amazing. His square jawline, the way his lips looked when they curved up into a smile, how long his eyelashes were, the veins in his hands standing out, the way his jacket hugged his biceps...

Her mouth felt a little dry as she looked him over, and when he glanced over at her and saw her staring, she just smiled sheepishly. He cocked his head to the side, a smile playing on his lips. "What are you looking at?" he asked as his eyes flicked across her face.

She could see how bright and green they are, even in the dim, low light of the car. She just shrugged, a bit flustered, as she looked into his eyes. It wasn't a moment later when she grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him close, pressing a deep kiss to his lips.

She felt him hesitate for only a moment before he kissed her back, his hands shifting up to cradle her cheeks in his hands. He was so gentle with her, his touch soft and warm. It felt so natural, being with him like this.

They kissed for a moment before he slowly pulled away, smiling happily to himself. "Dang," he said with a soft grin, laughing as he gently traced his fingers along her cheeks. "What was that for?" he asked with a smile, his eyes happy and bright.

She simply shrugged, giving him a warm smile. Just that simple kiss made her feel so much better. He made her feel better. "I just wanted to kiss you," she said with a soft laugh before she reluctantly pulled back, leaning back in her seat and smiling.

Percy was also grinning like an idiot, and he just chuckled to himself as he finally started driving to Annabeth's place. They stayed in a comfortable silence throughout the short drive, just sitting and listening to whatever music played on the radio.

When he finally did pull into her driveway, she kind of felt sad. She had enjoyed spending time with Percy, and she really didn't want him to go. He helped distract her from all the shitty things that had been happening lately, like school and everything with Luke and her family. Plus he was just fun to be around.

He parked his car and smiled down at her. "Well, here we are," he said with a grin as he turned his car off and stuck the keys into his pocket. He got out and went to grab her bag from the backseat, humming to himself once again.

Annabeth smiled softly and nodded in agreement as she climbed out herself, closing the door lightly behind her as he came around to walk up with her to the front door. As they stepped up onto the porch and she unlocked the door, she turned to him. "Uh, do you want to come in?" she asked tentatively, her fingers resting on the cool metal of the doorknob.

It was dark except for the porch lights she'd left on before she left for school that day, and it cast a weird shadow across Percy's face. It wasn't even a moment later that he nodded and gave her a smile. "Of course," he said with a grin. "I'd love to."

She felt relief flood through her as she finally opened the door and stepped inside.

* * *

He didn't know why he accepted her offer to come inside. Maybe it was because he was lonely, or he was worried about her because she'd seemed off that night, or maybe just because he didn't want to go home.

But no matter why he agreed, he was content with his decision. He loved spending time with her. So, he followed her inside and looked around. He'd been there numerous times before, and he had always loved her house.

It was nice and homey, the kind of place that felt warm and inviting the second he walked into it. He smiled and closed the door behind him before he slipped his shoes off and went to set her volleyball bag down near the stairs.

When he turned back to face Annabeth, she had slipped off her hoodie, and was left in just her sweatpants and a t-shirt. No matter what she was wearing, she still looked beautiful.

She cast him a playful smile as she flopped down onto the couch, grabbing the remote from the coffee table. He slipped off his jacket and set it aside before he walked over to the couch.

He smiled at her warmly, sitting down beside her. "So," he said slowly with a grin as she turned on the TV. A little bit of a smirk flickered across her face as she put on a random show and turned to look at him. "So," she said in the same tone as they both smiled.

She scooted a bit closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder again, smiling to herself. He grinned as well and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. "Thanks for staying," she said to him with a soft sigh, her hands resting on his chest. "My parents are out of town for a business trip and they left my brothers with their grandma."

She rolled her eyes a bit but had a small smile on her face. "At least I have the house to myself," she said with a soft laugh. He nodded in agreement and smiled, brushing some of her hair behind her ear. "It means I can hang out with you more without your stepmom giving me that nasty look," he teased with a small laugh.

Truthfully, her stepmother was one of the sweetest ladies Percy had ever met. Not that he'd tell Annabeth that.

The blonde girl in question was looking up at him with a warm smile, an emotion in her eyes that he couldn't place. "Very true," she agreed as she leaned up to press her lips to his jaw. It felt like a jolt against his skin, and he smiled a bit to himself.

He became a little more flustered when her hand shifted down to rest on his upper thigh. He felt his cheeks burn a bit red as she kissed along his jawline, before she tilted his face towards her and kissed him.

He always thought the concept of "fireworks" when kissing someone was overused, but it really rang true whenever he kissed Annabeth.

He let his fingers fall down to her hips as he pulled her closer to himself, and her hands wandered up to the hem of his shirt. They separated for a moment and Annabeth took the opportunity to slip his shirt off, kissing quickly down his neck as he leaned back.

"A-Annabeth," he mumbled with a soft sigh. "Are you sure? It's late, and you're tired, and we're literally in your living room, and-"

Before he could say anything else, he was cut off by Annabeth kissing him roughly, which effectively took his breath away. "Just shut up, Percy," she said exasperatedly as she pulled back and removed her t-shirt, tossing it aside.

If he hadn't previously been ready to stop talking, he sure as hell was now.

He simply nodded in response, too flustered and too sheepish to formulate an actual legitimate thought, before she kissed him deeply once more.


	13. Chapter 13

Annabeth and Percy began to develop kind of a system.

He'd come to her games or she'd go to his and they'd get pictures together and act all kissy before they would go over to her place and mess around.

It happened a lot whenever they hung out. Even when they were doing homework. It really happened whenever Annabeth was thinking too much about Luke, which happened a lot more than she would like to admit.

She actually had a bit of a secret revolving around that subject. She hadn't actually stopped talking to Luke.

They were childhood friends, and they both agreed that just because they broke up didn't mean they had to throw away 18 years of friendship.

No one really knew about it, except Percy. She would bring it up time to time when they were together, mainly that they were still talking. He'd always just give her this smile that doesn't reach his eyes and nod his head to her. "That's awesome," he'd say in the same reserved tone of voice.

She kind of did it mainly to have Percy keep in mind that the two of them weren't a legitimate, serious item. Rough, she knows, but she didn't want to hurt him if she ended up leaving him. That's one wedge she was definitely willing to drive between them.

As for her and Luke...they still texted and talked fairly often. And, well...Annabeth had another secret that's actually a bigger secret. She still wasn't over Luke. She felt that her "secret" was obvious enough, though no one really seemed to know it, aside from maybe Percy. Even if they did know, they didn't ask her about it, which was fine by her.

It just...it was hard. Ever since they were little, she'd had a thing for him. From summer camp as kids to high school, she'd been into him.

She kind of thought Luke was still into her too. He definitely flirted enough with her. And it was the kind of flirting that made her blush like an idiot. She ended up texting or Snapping him a lot, even when she was with Percy.

Like now, for example. Percy was actually asleep beside her, laying on his stomach with his arms wrapped around one of her pillows.

He was shirtless, and the blanket covered little enough of his body that she could see the toned, tan muscles of his back and shoulders. His lips were parted and his dark hair was messy, and Annabeth had to admit he looked really hot. He always did.

After they'd gotten done with their, er...regular activities, he'd promptly fallen asleep beside her. With the state tournament getting closer, their coach had been having them come in early in the morning before school in addition to their regular practices for a few hours after school.

Annabeth could relate, with her coach getting on their asses as well before states. This led to the two taking a lot of naps together due to being rather exhausted from both school and workouts. This was one of those times Percy had fallen asleep on her, and she was fine with just letting him sleep.

She was busy talking to Luke anyway. Wow...that didn't sound good. Well, whatever.

They were Snapchatting back and forth, and Annabeth was trying to subtly drive home the fact that she wasn't wearing anything. Why, you might ask?

Well, she'd developed this staggeringly detailed plot to win Luke back. Even before they had broken up, he had been jealous of Percy. Maybe it was kind of cruel, but Annabeth thought that Luke would be even more jealous of Percy after he had broken up with her.

When she says she kind of disclosed her plan to Percy, she means she did so in a very indirect way. She wasn't going to come out to her fling and say "I'm using you to make my ex so jealous he'll take me back!" because that would be more insensitive than she was hoping to be.

When she told him, the two of them may or may not have been drunk out of their minds as well as exhausted as hell, and she may or may not have also not fully disclosed the plan. But, that's fine. Not really, but that's what she liked to think.

Honestly, though, her plan seemed to be working. Annabeth had posted a few pictures of herself and Percy on her story, and each time Luke seemed a bit more off. He was being a bit more flirty too, always talking about coming over and them hanging out whenever he came home next.

And whenever she mentioned Percy, he just acted jealous. He brushed it off or criticized something about Percy in whatever circumstance or picture that was mentioned.

It seemed to be working. She knew that she could get him back soon. She was so close. Percy muttering something in his sleep beside her brought her back to real life, where she was in bed naked with her current fling, it was well past midnight, and she was texting her ex boyfriend. It was only a moment later that he curled up again beside her once more and relaxed.

To anyone outside of their situation, it might have seemed cruel. But her and Percy both knew that they weren't a thing. They were just teenagers doing what teenagers do. They agreed to that at the beginning of their entire "relationship" if you could even call it that. They didn't even have a relationship. That was it. They were just having fun.

Luke sent back a picture of himself, a smirk on his lips that had driven Annabeth wild the entire time they'd been together and even before. He'd made a dumb joke about her being naked, and how she should be like that with him. She could only assume he knew it was because Percy was there with her.

She sent back one of her smirking as well, the blankets pulled up to cover her chest. 'Maybe it could've been' she sent back before she heard a small yawn from beside her.

She quickly shut her phone off as Percy shifted, moving his hands up to rub his eyes. "Mm...Annabeth?" he mumbled, his hand gently coming to rest on her arm. She could feel the roughness of his fingers even though they still felt warm and gentle. "Why...why are you awake?" His voice was raspy and deep, and she could see that his hair was a mess from the dim light in her room.

She chuckled and relaxed beside him, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. She could feel the light stubble on his cheeks when she leaned in, and it made her smile. "Sorry, babe. I couldn't sleep." He grinned a little when her lips touched his skin and he cuddled up beside her again, and it was made clear to her that he was still half asleep.

"Mm...I'm sorry," he murmured through another yawn. "Just...don't stay up too late, okay?" She couldn't help but laugh softly as she nodded. "Don't worry, I won't." She brushed her fingers through his messy hair and pulled the blankets over the two of them. "Now go back to sleep, okay? It's late."

He just nodded and gently wrapped his arms around her before he promptly fell asleep once more. She sighed in relief and set her phone down on her nightstand before she gently wrapped her arms around him.

She was worried that he had caught her on her phone. That would've been an awkward conversation. She dragged her fingers through his hair and bit down on her lower lip as she began to think.

Honestly, it was nice having him there for her when she needed him. They'd kind of honestly gone beyond a hookup. They were more of friends with benefits, with benefits that went beyond sex. Their benefits were like going on (kind of) dates, cuddling, just hanging out, and all of that good stuff.

She kept telling herself that there was no real relationship or connection between them, but she knew she was wrong. She kind of figured Percy was into her in more than just an unattached hookup kind of way. Or...she had a hunch that he felt that way.

But they'd talked about it several times, and they both agreed that they weren't committed to one another.

And...wow. That sounded really bad. It's not like either of them were just running around having sex and flirting with everyone else, but still. Whatever.

She still felt almost...guilty. Did that make sense? But...no. She didn't have to. She told him what she wanted and what she could do and he agreed. That's all there is to it. She doubted that he was actually even into her like that anyway. They were both most likely going to different colleges, wanted different things, everything. It was fine.

She was brought out of her train of thought when she heard her phone vibrate on the nightstand. Her gaze went from Percy, curled up in her arms with a sleepy smile on his face, to her phone, and back again. She hesitated before she moved her arms to take her phone, smiling as she saw a Snapchat from Luke.

What could she say? She knew what she wanted.

* * *

Percy didn't know how to feel about his situation with Annabeth. He had to admit that he really enjoyed being able to kiss her in public and hold her hand and all of the couple-ish stuff that they did together, but he was torn on whether or not to keep it going.

He really did like her, but it sucked that she didn't feel the same way back. Or...so he thought. It kinda seemed like she did, to be honest. She was always taking pictures with him and positing them and holding his hand in public and staying against his side at parties.

Even when they weren't in the public eye, when they were just at her place in her room studying, she would poke him or play with his fingers or a thousand other little cute things.

Did she feel the same way? He had no clue. He just knew that every day he got more and more into her. Everything went well for a few weeks being with her. They just hung out, did their "thing" whenever she wanted, and had a good time in general.

He didn't want to admit it but he was starting to catch feelings for her. He didn't want to, definitely, since he knew she didn't feel that way for him. Or...maybe? He was just confused, honestly.

Moving on from that, though.

Playoff season was getting closer and closer, and soon came the Shark's last regular season game against the Hemlock Huskies. They were trying for an 8-1 record to give them the best possible playoff spot, as well as to try and get the games to happen at home.

It was late in the fourth quarter with less than a minute left, and the Huskies had possession of the ball. Normally this wouldn't have been an issue, if their opponents hadn't been up by 7 points. What are the odds, right?

Percy felt like every bit of him was tingling with nerves. He was on defense, and his coach had told him just one thing before he went out: "Get the damn ball."

Percy would try his hardest to do just that.

As soon as the opposing quarterback snapped the ball, he surged forward, shoving past a offensive lineman to get to the quarterback. As Percy's target noticed he was there, he tried to throw the ball away.

Percy simply leapt up, as high as he could with his arms up as high as possible, to try and intercept it. He was shocked when he felt the ball settle between his hands, and by the time he hit the grass he was running as fast as he could toward the end zone, the ball tucked firmly under his arm.

He got there without much opposition, and he felt a grin come onto his face. His teammates all ran over, whooping and cheering and slapping him on the back and the helmet, and he heard loud whistles as a time out was called by the Huskies.

Percy and his teammates jogged over to the sideline, where the head coach was standing with a smile full of pride on his face. "Nice job boys," he said with a grin before he looked at Jason. "Now, we could kick and tie it up, but I'd much rather go for the win."

At that moment, the entire Goode football team yelled in unison, and the coach just smiled. Jason just grinned and slapped Percy on the back. "Finishing move it is," he laughed as Percy nodded in agreement.

Once the time out expired, the Shark offense ran out onto the field. Percy took a momentary glance into the stands to see that every single fan was on their feet, clad in their blue and white and cheering for everyone to hear.

They'd been working on their two-point conversion plays all summer and all season, and the boys were all excited to finally bust one out.

The clock had run down to nothing, and this play would determine the game. One point behind. Here we go, Percy thought to himself.

The ball was snapped, and Percy ran behind Jason, who pitched it to him. The runningback had to give his cousin some credit, being the quarterback was a stressful job.

All the linemen either protecting him or trying to mess him up, receivers running their routes, trying to find open people at the same time as trying to evade people trying to kill him.

Thankfully, Percy's job was pretty damn easy for this play. Be made the easy pass to Jason, who was completely open on the side and ran it in for two. Percy had never heard cheers so loud.

He sprinted over with his teammates, all of them roaring and cheering as they dogpiled on top of their quarterback, who still held the ball underneath the pile of blue-clad football players.

When everyone calmed down enough to shake hands with the other team, the Sharks tackled Jason once more as the fans flooded the field. Normally there was a rule against it, but no one really cared at this point.

Percy took off his helmet and looked around, only searching for one person. Annabeth. When he saw her walking towards him, he just smiled and jogged over.

When she was close enough, she jumped and threw her arms around him, burying her face into his neck as she grinned. "Percy, that was amazing!" she said through a laugh. "You were amazing!" She pulled back and gave him her signature sunny smile before she leaned in and kissed him.

If he wasn't already on high alert, he sure as hell was now. He kissed her back with a big smile on his face, his heart pounding. When she finally pulled away, she rested her hand on his chest with a big grin.

Soon, Piper walked over and smiled, patting Percy on the back. "Nice job, Perce." She gave him a devious smile that often made the runningback nervous. "Also, unrelated, but you two are the cutest." As she was speaking, she was already showing the pair her phone, which displayed a picture of the two kissing, Annabeth held up in Percy's arms, both of them evidently smiling.

The blonde just laughed, taking Percy's gloved hand into her own. "Shouldn't you be busy kissing Jason?" she teased her best friend with a smile, though the brunette just rolled her eyes and gestured to the mess of a dogpile. "I will once his teammates are done with him."

They all laughed and Piper walked off with the promise to come back and find them after she retrieved her boyfriend. Annabeth smiled up at Percy once more, her grey eyes gorgeous as always, and pressed another kiss to his lips, stopping to mumble something into his ear.

"Before we go hang out with them, maybe we can head out to my car?" His heart skipped several beats as his face turned a harsh shade of red. He hoped she just thought it was because he was tired. "A-ah, what? Annabeth, that's way too-" He was cut off by her lips once more, and he felt like he was hopelessly trapped.

He just rolled his eyes and sighed, shaking his head. "I swear to God, if we get caught, I'm gonna kill you," he said morosely as she just smirked and took his hand. "Fine by me. Now go change. I'll be out there waiting."


	14. Chapter 14

Percy felt as if some distance had been forming between himself and Annabeth, which kind of sucked. He kept trying to text or call her, but it was a toss up as to whether or not she would answer.

Whenever they were together anyway, they were having sex. Most guys would be content with that, but not Percy. He missed hanging out with her and being with her beyond that. They were supposed to be friends, after all.

After their last regular season game against the Hemlock Huskies, and they had gone out to her car in the parking lot, it had kind of gone downhill.

He asked to hang out with her that weekend and she'd brushed him off, saying she had something to do with her team before their district tournament. He didn't think much of it, until she started leaving him on read every so often. He wanted to think that, yeah, she was just busy and that's all there is to it, but he had a creeping suspicion that there was something else.

He finally got to talk to her when he came over to her place on Monday after their practices to do homework. He pulled up at her house and came inside, greeting Bobby and Matthew and their mother before heading up to Annabeth's room.

He knocked softly before coming in, seeing her sitting on her bed with her laptop settled on her thighs. She looked up, and those grey eyes of hers made his chest expand. He gave her a warm smile. "Hey, beautiful," he said as he walked over, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

She smiled a little, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Hey, Perce," she said softly as she patted the bed beside her for him to sit down.

He obliged, and gave her a little grin. "I brought you something," he said as he reached into his backpack and fished around before he handed her a bottle of orange Gatorade. "I remembered you talking in class today about how you were craving it."

Her eyes softened as she took it and smiled up at him. "You're so sweet," she chuckled as she wrapped her arms around him. Her lips touched his cheek and a warm feeling spread throughout his entire body. A smile drifted across his lips before he gently wrapped an arm around her waist. They fit together so nicely, he thought.

"You ready for your big game Wednesday?" he asked, referring to the volleyball team's first district game. They got a bye for the first round that was that day. She nodded as she pulled back, giving him a sheepish smile. She opened the bottle of Gatorade, taking a long drink.

When she pulled the bottle back, she smiled up at him. "Yeah, honestly. I'm kind of nervous, but I know we can do it." He nodded and smiled, giving her arm a little squeeze. "I know you can. You're amazing, wise girl."

She cracked this teasing smile at him as she leaned up, giving him a full, deep kiss. He felt a fire ignite in his belly as his eyes shut, his hand resting on the small of her back. She finally pulled back, leaving Percy sitting there with a big, stupid smile on his face. He just looked at her, overcome with affection.

"You're, like, one of the best things that's ever happened to me," he blurted without thinking. She got a look in her eyes that almost seemed sad, but it was gone faster than it showed up. What did he know though? Percy was terrible at reading people.

He looked down at his lap, thinking for a little bit. "Like...I've gone through a lot lately, and you just made everything so much better." He was usually never one to talk about hardships.

He never wanted to bother anyone with anything, because most of it seemed too insignificant to tell anyone. But Annabeth was sitting there, her grey eyes trained on him, dark and stormy with thought.

"I mean...I just feel so much pressure from my coach. He pulled me aside the other week and told me that he's gonna depend on me for playoffs. Like...what if we don't get there? I'm gonna feel responsible."

Annabeth sighed softly and took his hand, intertwining their fingers. Even a gesture as small as that made him feel a little better. Her hand was soft and warm, and her long fingers fit perfectly between his own.

"Percy, you're amazing. There's a reason you're a captain, and you have the most touchdowns this school has ever seen," she said with a smile, squeezing his hand. "I know it's overwhelming, I understand exactly what you're feeling."

He didn't want to meet her gaze, but he eventually did, and what he saw in her eyes was pride.

"Everyone believes in you but you," she insisted. "Every single person who's ever watched one of those football games talks about how many touchdowns or carries they think you're going to have." She squeezed his hand again, and he just gave her a small smile before she continued to speak. "You're doing great. You're doing the best that you can and that's all anyone can ask for."

She leaned in and pressed her lips gently to his, and he could feel her smile. His heart expanded and when she pulled back, he just wrapped his arms around her and buried his face into her hair. He could recognize her distinct lemony shampoo.

It wasn't a second of hesitation before she hugged him back, nestling her head perfectly against his neck. They stayed there for a bit, just in one another's arms, until there was a knock on the door and the harmonious voices of Bobby and Matthew announcing that dinner was done.

Annabeth smiled a little and pulled back, yelling that they'd be down in a second, before she looked back to Percy. Her eyes were full of what he presumed to be affection, and glowing a shade of grey that resembled calm storm clouds, about as light as they would appear.

She didn't say anything as she leaned in to kiss him once more. She didn't need to say anything.

* * *

On Thursday, Shark volleyball fans packed up all their stuff and headed out to the third district game in Hillview. After their first round bye in the tournament, the Sharks had easily won their second round game, sweeping the opposing team in three sets.

This game was the championship game, and Annabeth was nervous like she had been every year for districts, but confident enough that she could boost her team's morale.

They were in the middle of warmups as everyone started pouring in, and Annabeth was grateful to see such a big crowd clad in blue and white. It was even better when she saw Percy and the boys come in. They had taken it upon themselves to start a nice big student section, which was already pretty full. There were posters and everyone was generally hyped up for the game.

Their opponents were the Eastern Falcons, clad in their black jerseys while the Sharks were sporting their blue ones. As warmups came to a close, and the buzzer went off to signify the start of the game, the fans on their side of the gym began cheering loudly.

This would be the Sharks' fifth consecutive district championship if they won, and they were all hungry to keep the streak alive. They retreated back to the bench and stood at attention while the anthem was sung, and

Annabeth went over everything in her head, just trying to make sure she could do the best job possible of helping her team get the title again. When the anthem ended they began to announce the teams, and when Annabeth's name was called the entire gym erupted, though the loudest was Percy, that big stupid smile on his face and his hands cupped around his mouth as he whooped and cheered.

She made eye contact with him and grinned, and he blew her a kiss. Her heart skipped a beat and she flushed a bit. Moments like this were when she felt guilty. She was still talking to Luke, not to mention still having feelings for him, and here she had one of the sweetest guys she knew that was all about her.

This wasn't the time to think about that, though. She couldn't control those kind of feelings. All she needed was to focus on the game.

As the announcers finished calling out the players, Annabeth walked onto the court. The roar of the crowd, the squeak of shoes on the floor, the whistles of the refs...they're all things she grew up around.

This was her last go, her last time in a districts final game. She took a chance to look around, soaking it all in. She smiled despite herself and took her position.

She'd make it a great last game.

* * *

Percy swore that he blinked and the game was over. It was a 3-0 set blowout, with the Sharks taking home the district title for the fifth season in a row.

The entire team was incredible, though Annabeth really shined. She had kill after kill after kill, to the point where whenever she approached the net the other team flinched.

After the presentation of the medals and the trophy, all the anxious, overjoyed Sharks fans flooded the court to congratulate the team and the coaches.

Percy made a beeline for Annabeth, and the second he got within distance his arms were around her and he was lifting her into the air. "That's my girl!" he exclaimed happily, laughing as he gave her a big bear hug. She threw her arms around him, laughing happily as she kissed his cheek.

He could feel her shaking slightly from the adrenaline, and he just held her closer to steady her. After a bit he set her down, and he could feel the pride shining on his face. She had this immense smile on her lips, her fingers gripping the medal she was presented with like she was afraid someone was going to take it.

"You were incredible," he said with a grin, his hand resting gently on her arm. "You were so amazing. I'm so proud of you." He laughed and brought her in for another hug before he pulled back once more.

He stood with her for a little bit, before he glanced around. "Did your family come at all?" he asked curiously before he looked down at her. She smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "They said they'd try to make it, but my dad had night class and Bobby and Matthew couldn't come this late on a school night."

He felt sad for her, honestly. He gave her a sheepish smile before he leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Well, I'm gonna be at all your games no matter what," he assured her before he took her hand.

Her heart melted and she squeezed his hand, smiling sheepishly. "Thanks, seaweed brain," she said with a grin. He just shook his head and smiled back, laughing softly. "Don't thank me," he assured her before he pointed somewhere behind her. "Also, I think they want you."

She turned to see Piper and Hazel waiting for her, big smiles on their faces. She smiled at them and held up a finger before she glanced at Percy. He smiled and shrugged. "Go be with them, Annabeth. I'll be here when you get back," he laughed.

He leaned in to kiss her cheek before he turned and walked off to go find his friends, she figured. She wasted no time in turning and heading over to her friends, throwing her arms around them with a grin. "You guys, we did it," she laughed breathlessly.

She hadn't really sat there and let it hit her yet. They were moving on to regionals again. Piper grinned and squeezed her shoulder. "You had a big game, Beth," she said with a smile. "That's more film to show to colleges."

Annabeth rolled her eyes and punched Piper in the shoulder, and even if it was lightly, she felt pride in Piper's shocked expression. "You're one to talk, McLean. Some of those tips you had were incredible. They never saw it coming."

The brunette shrugged, giving a big grin. "I know it," she laughed and turned to glance at Hazel, who was all smiles as she watched her friends' interaction. "And Hazel, holy shit you were amazing."

Hazel blushed a little and opened her mouth, most likely to protest Annabeth's statement, but the blonde cut her off with a massive grin. "You remember you had that one save where you ran over and jumped over the bench? That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen in my life."

The shorter girl flushed again, modest as always, but she finally just smiled and shrugged meekly. "Thanks, guys. But it was definitely a team effort." They laughed and discussed the game, and Annabeth felt happier than she had in a long while.

Eventually the three of them headed back to the locker room, and Annabeth had never been more grateful to escape her sweaty uniform. She threw on some sweatpants and a blue football sweatshirt she had stolen from Percy.

She came out, smiling as her teammates and their families that were still in the gym all congratulated her. She finally made her way over to Percy. He was standing with Jason, Frank, and Leo while they all talked, smiling easily.

She found herself smiling as she saw him, her heart skipping a beat as she took her place beside him, her backpack slung over her shoulders.

She honestly thought it was weird how happy he made her. Even if she didn't come out of all this with him as her boyfriend, she had definitely gained a new best friend. Just being with him made her whole life better. She felt more at ease, supported, cared about, able to express herself.

He was such a genuine guy that it was hard not to be happy around him. She still felt bad, after everything is said and done. She was beginning to even doubt her own feelings at the moment.

Then she considered Luke, and she got another smile on her face. She loved him more than anything. They were going to work out eventually, even if it did take some...jealousy, if she could call it that.

As she took her place beside Percy, he glanced down at her and gave her a crooked, warm smile. "Hey there," he laughed softly. "Ready to get going?"

She nodded and they both said goodbye to the guys before they walked out together. He offered his hand to her and she took it gladly, their fingers fitting together nicely as they walked out together.

Percy held open the door for her as they exited the school, and a blast of cool air hit her in the face. As it got closer and closer to November, New York nights got colder and colder. She was grateful for Percy's warm hand holding her own.

He led her to his car and clicked the button to unlock it before he hopped in and started it to warm it up. She climbed in on the passenger side and managed to throw her bag into the backseat before she closed the door.

The car was cold, and she could almost see her breath in the faint light of the instruments on the console. Percy was settling in beside her, rubbing his hands together after he slammed his door shut.

She could see him glance over at her from the corner of her eye and she turned to make eye contact with him. His green eyes looked gorgeous in the low light in the car. He smiled and leaned closer to her, pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

As soon as he leaned in, he had pulled back, and she found herself missing the feeling of his lips on her own. "You did amazing tonight, wise girl," he said with a warm smile. "Absolutely amazing."

She felt her cheeks redden a little, and she offered a soft smile in return. "Thanks, Percy. That means a lot." He just nodded and smiled, feeling around his center console before he plugged a cord into his phone and started to play some music softly.

She recognized the song as one she had been playing on her laptop when the two of them first began studying together, all those weeks ago. A lot had changed since then.

Percy glanced in his rearview and backed out of his parking spot before he went to pull out of the parking lot, a soft smile on his face. He glanced over at her and smiled before he returned his eyes to the road and pulled out.

"Go ahead and sleep. I'm sure your exhausted." His voice was soft but full of affection. She could hear it. "You can get a little rest before we get home. Because I have a little bit of a surprise for you."

Annabeth wanted to protest, but one glance at his face made her realize that he wasn't going to relinquish any information. She just pouted for a moment before nodding and curling up in the seat.

She let her eyes drift shut and let herself be lulled to sleep by the warm air pouring out of the vents and the soft music playing over the speakers.


	15. Chapter 15

When Annabeth woke up, she was sitting in the passenger seat of Percy's car with the aforementioned boy gently shaking her arm. She could only imagine how terrible she looked as she just woke up, but he gave her the sweetest smile anyway.

She looked out the front window and was surprised to see them parked at an old school diner. She must have passed by the place a million times on her way to various places around the city, but she'd never been inside.

It was the type of cliche place you'd see in shows with the popular teenagers who all congregate at one place. White walls and chrome, worn down sign, and strips of neon lights running every which way. Percy gazed at the place longingly, though, and Annabeth could tell that he'd been there many times before.

He turned off his headlights and his car before giving her a grin. "C'mon, hurry up, wise girl. I'm starving," he said in a playfully whiny voice, and she could only roll her eyes, grinning as she reached over and punched him firmly in the bicep. "Shut up, fish head, I'm going."

She opened the door and was immediately hit with a blast of cold air that took her breath away. She groaned slightly and shook her head before hopping out and closing her door behind her, making a beeline for the entrance.

It was late by the time they got there, about eleven or so, so she wasn't surprised to see the diner mostly empty. Percy ducked in behind her and smiled, poking her side before leading her to a booth at the back of the restaurant.

The place smelled like burgers and fries, with a hint of something sweet she could've sworn were pancakes. Her stomach rumbled and she realized with a start that she was genuinely hungry. She'd barely eaten all day.

Percy heard and snickered a little as he removed his jacket, setting it beside him on his side of the booth while Annabeth settled into her side. "I've never been here," she admitted, deciding to ignore his little laugh. "It's kind of a cool place."

He nodded almost immediately and got a warm smile on his face. "Yeah, it's the best. My mom and I used to come here all the time," he said, his green eyes glinting excitedly.

A waitress whisked by and set two menus and some silverware down on the table, giving them both a warm smile. He handed the menus right back to her and grinned, ordering them both a burger and fries as well as a milkshake. The waitress jotted it down and nodded before she walked off again, giving the pair a fleeting smile.

Percy flashed Annabeth a warm smile before he grabbed the wrapped silverware and began messing with the little strip of paper that held the napkin in place. As Annabeth glanced over at the retreating waitress, she thought about what Percy had said. "Why used to?" she asked curiously. She had never talked with Percy a whole lot about his family.

He just shrugged a little in response and gave her a small smile. "Yeah, we're both just super busy. We do come in her sometimes, but we came a lot more when I was younger, though," he informed her with a smile, his fingers still fiddling with the paper.

She debated with herself for a moment before she glanced over at him. He was wearing a normal outfit for him, which consisted of some faded jeans and a random t-shirt with a hoodie. Even if it was just plain, he looked great.

He was still fumbling around with the paper from the silverware, and she found herself smiling. "Percy, I do have a question," she found herself asking. As she spoke, he raised his head and looked at her, content and smiling. "Of course. Shoot." He leaned back, folding his arms across his chest with a smile.

She hesitated for a moment before she let her gaze fall to the table. The question she wanted to ask was a sensitive one, and she didn't know how to bring it up sensitively. "You never mention your dad at all," she offered slowly. "Why is that?"

He looked at her for a moment and hesitated before his gaze fell to the table again. "Well..."

Their conversation was halted as the waitress came by, dropping off their food. Honestly, it looked amazing. It'd been a while since she'd had a nice greasy burger. They thanked the waitress before she walked off again, and Percy delayed the conversation by taking a few bites of his burger. She didn't mind. She'd give him as much time to answer the question as he wanted.

She took a few bites of her own burger, and smiled softly. It was amazing. The milkshake, too. She'd gotten chocolate and he'd gotten peanut butter.

After a bit, their frenzied eating slowed and Percy gave her a sheepish look as he popped a few fries into his mouth. "Sorry," he chuckled gently. "I've just been trying to figure out how to answer that question." He smiled, but she could see that it didn't quite reach his eyes.

She'd never seen such reservation in those sea green eyes of his. "My dad left when I was young," he said, his voice soft. "I don't remember much of him, honestly. Just his eyes. They were green, like mine. He was in the navy, and he wasn't home a whole lot. It was just my mom and I, for the most part."

He got a bit of a distant look in his eyes. "I remember when I was in about first grade, after he had come home for a while. I came home from school and ran up to our apartment from the bus, and when I walked in I saw my mom crying at the kitchen table. I asked her what was wrong but she never really told me. She just grabbed me and hugged me and tried to stop crying.

"It wasn't until years later when she told me that my dad left her...left us. He came home from the store or something, packed up his stuff and just left. Drove off in his car. She said he went to be with some woman he'd met while overseas."

His eyes flicked up to hers every so often, and all she could think of is how his mother felt. Every time she looked at her son she saw the man she loved that had abandoned them both. She had no idea what to say in response, so she didn't mind when he kept speaking.

His fingers were drumming lightly against the table, and she smiled softly to herself. He'd always had trouble keeping still. "It wasn't that bad, honestly. We got by. My mom worked two jobs, and I spent a lot of time with Jason and Thalia. Until she got into a relationship with this guy..."

He trailed off a little, and she could see anger glinting in his eyes as he stared at the table, his fingers coming up to tug at the strings of his hoodie.

"He started off fine enough. He was decent, bought her a lot of gifts. She was able to quit one of her jobs, which made me kind of happy because I could see her a lot more. But after a while he turned into an absolute jerk.

"He...he would hit my mom, when he thought I couldn't hear or see it. He hit me too sometimes, when he got a little too drunk. He learned not to mess with me once I got a little older, about 14, but he still threatened my mom..."

Annabeth saw genuine fire in his eyes. She hadn't known Percy for a really long time, but she did know that the number one person in his life was his mom. He would do anything for her.

"One day, when I came home from football practice, he was yelling at her in the kitchen. I walked in as he raised his arm to hit her, and I kinda lost it. I ran over and I..."

His gaze turned confused. His brown furrowed and he stared at a mark on the table as if struggling to recall a memory that was just barely out of reach.

"I didn't know what happened. I still don't. All I remember is my mom pulling me off from on top of him, and I had blood on my hands." He almost looked ashamed. "You have to believe me, Annabeth, I never wanted to hurt him. I never want to hurt anyone. But he was going to hurt my mom."

He sounded genuinely upset, and she reached across the table, gently resting her hand over top of his, giving him as comforting as a smile as she could manage. He looked into her eyes and took a moment before he returned her smile and his gaze flickered back to the table.

"He got up and threatened to call the cops on me, but I think he knew he wouldn't get out of that situation clean. He left after that. Packed up his stuff, just disappeared."

He shrugged a little. "Good riddance, if you ask me. We haven't seen him or heard from him since. It's just back to my mom and I. She works harder than anyone I've ever met. That's kind of why I need a scholarship for football to college. If I didn't get that, I wouldn't be able to go at all. We just don't have enough money."

Annabeth just looked at him, and she could feel her chest tighten up with sadness. Percy was always such a happy guy. He was always smiling, always lifting up everyone around him. It killed her to know that he had this much riding on his shoulders all the time and no one knew. That's why he worked so hard, why he was always gentle and kind even when people were nasty.

Like when Luke was fighting him. Annabeth realized that when they were in her living room, and Luke was beating him up after he figured out about her and Percy's drunken kiss, the runningback had never raised a hand towards her ex. She just figured it was because he didn't want to upset her, but now she realized it was because he'd been on the receiving end of abuse before.

With a start she realized that Percy's sea green eyes were trained on her, and she just gave him a soft smile as she squeezed his hand. He looked sad. More sad than she had ever seen him. She was at a loss for what to say.

"Percy, I..." she trailed off before looking down at the table. "Thank you...for telling me that." She lifted her head, and once again was caught in the gaze of his eyes. "I'm glad that you can open up like that to me. It helps me understand you more." She wanted to kick herself. It felt like she was reading from a script. "Just...know that you can always talk to me about stuff like this. Anything. I want to know you."

He gave her a small smile before nodding slowly and looking down. "Thanks, wise girl," he said softly with a bit of a sigh. He squeezed her hand again before pulling back, going back to eating his burger.

She had no idea how he could do that so easily. Pour his heart out and carry on eating like nothing happened. She looked at him for a little bit more before she looked down at her own burger. Percy was stronger than she'd ever given him credit for. She now understood the strong bond between him and his mother. They're all one another has ever had.

She picked at her burger and fries for a bit but was deep in thought for the majority of her meal. In the middle of it, when the pair was sitting in comfortable silence, Annabeth received a Snapchat from Luke. She had never put her phone away faster. She didn't want to hear from him right now.

The dark haired boy had seen her pick up her phone, and he gave her a wistful smile. "Luke again?" he asked with a soft laugh. He had a certain sadness in his eyes that she had just started to see. She didn't like it. She shrugged slightly and pushed a fry around her plate. "Ah, yeah. I don't wanna answer it right now though."

He gave her a curious look as he took another bite of his burger. "Why not?" he asked through a mouthful of food. She smiled a little. That's the Percy she knew.

She just shrugged in response and smiled sheepishly. "I'm spending time with you. He can wait." His expression brightened and her heart warmed as the two of them resumed eating.

Soon enough they both finished up and Percy paid for both of their meals before they walked back out to his car. He seemed happy, honestly. Happier than he'd been earlier.

He was smiling and holding her hand, going on about how excited he was for his playoff game the next day, and how he was gonna wear his "lucky glove" she had bought him, and she could only smile. Seeing him happy made her happy.

They climbed into his car and he clicked on the radio before glancing down at her. "Uh, so my place is actually really close to here...do you wanna come stay over?" She smiled and nodded almost immediately. She had never been to his place.

He nodded in response and smiled, pulling out of the parking lot before beginning to drive. It was only a few minutes before they pulled into the lot of an apartment building. He pulled into a spot and turned the car off, climbing out after giving her a smile.

His smile was honestly one of the best things she'd ever seen in her life.

She grabbed her bag from his backseat and went to stand beside him as he locked his car up, before they entered the building. The walk up to his apartment was quiet, but a kind of comfortable quiet she'd only ever had with a few other people.

When they got to his floor and walked down the hall, she could hear muffled noises coming from some of the other apartments. The drone of a TV, an isolated laugh, the sound of a soft conversation.

They stopped in front of a door and he fumbled with his keys for a moment before he unlocked the door. He opened it as quietly as possible, glancing inside before he walked in. She followed in behind him and glanced around as he quietly closed and locked the door.

The apartment was dim, but she could vaguely see a comfortably decorated living room and a clean kitchen. The place looked homey. She had never been to his apartment before, since they'd always gone to her place or hung out at a lot of other places.

They both slipped off their shoes and he took her by the hand and guided her back down the hallway to what she assumed was his room. He closed the door behind him, and she looked around with a smile.

The walls were painted a dark blue, and covered with random posters and pictures of himself with his mom and his teammates. It was about as messy as she figured it would be, with various clothes, football gear, and books scattered here and there on his floor.

He had a desk settled near the end of his bed, and a bookshelf near the door that had more awards and random items than it did books. There was a window on the far wall with the shades half pulled, letting one a little bit of light from the city outside.

She caught a scent of the deodorant he always wore, and it made her smile. He gave her a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his neck. His green eyes glinted in the low light of the room. "Sorry it's kinda messy," he whispered to her. "I wasn't really planning on having anyone over."

She smiled and shook her head, setting her backpack down beside the door. "Don't worry, Percy. Thanks for having me over." She kissed his cheek before she pulled back and removed her hoodie, setting it aside so she was just in sweatpants and a t-shirt. "I'm gonna use the bathroom really fast," she informed him softly.

He just nodded and smiled, pointing a certain way so she'd know where to go. She left the room and walked down the hall as quietly as she could, using the slight glow of her phone screen to light the way.

She saw some pictures hanging up in the hallway, and she looked them over as she made her way to the bathroom. She smiled as she saw one of a young Percy and his mom.

She was holding him and he looked completely content, a big smile on his face as he looked at the camera. He still had the same mess of dark hair and the same vibrant green eyes.

His mom was beautiful, with light brown hair and blue eyes that seemed to reflect her warm smile. Annabeth had yet to meet her, but she couldn't wait.

Eventually she did make it to the bathroom, and did her thing quickly before she made her way back to Percy's room. She closed the door quietly behind her and turned to the bed, where Percy was laying down, and he looked about half asleep.

He raised his head slightly as she walked in, and he immediately broke into a warm, sleepy smile. That smile of his made her stomach turn in the best way possible. She smiled back at him and flicked off the light beside the door before she walked over, crawling into bed beside him.

"Hey there," he said in a soft, rough voice, pressing a soft kiss to her temple as she cuddled into his side. She grinned and looked up into his half lidded green eyes. "Hey yourself," she chuckled. "You look pretty tired."

He gave her a pouty look and shook his head, though his lips immediately widened into a yawn. "Am not," he mumbled, his arms shifting to wrap around her and his lips touching her cheek. "Plus, we have to like...y'know."

She thought it was adorable how shy he was about it. He looked really cute when he was all sleepy.

She bit her a lip a little and smiled softly, though inwardly she felt guilty. He hadn't fallen asleep all because he thought that they needed to have sex.

She finally snapped herself out of it and shook her head, stroking sike of his hair back from his forehead. "Hey, don't worry about that. Go to sleep." He gave her a look that she interpreted as 'Are you sure?' and she just nodded, continuing to run her fingers through his hair.

Eventually he just nodded and closed his eyes, curling up against her side. Soon she could feel his breathing even out as he fell asleep, and she was alone with her thoughts.

She realized she was playing with Percy's feelings to get her ex back, and it killed her. She liked to think of herself as a genuine person, but this was one of the worst things she had ever done.

Percy was an amazing guy, and the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him. All she could do to make herself feel a bit more at ease was how regularly they said that they were good friends.

Well...it was more of her saying it and him kind of half-assedly agreeing. She had told him that she wasn't looking for anything serious, but wasn't that what they had become?

She needed to keep reiterating how she felt, maybe even bring Luke into the equation. She needed to mention that he might want to get back together, to kind of drive it home that Annabeth didn't see this as a romantic relationship.

That was such a hard subject to broach, though. She knew it needed to happen but she also knew that her heart would snap in two if she did that. She knew Percy would be absolutely heartbroken. She had seen sadness in those beautiful green eyes of his and she never wanted to see it again.

A guy as amazing as him deserved only absolute happiness in his life, and she wanted nothing more than to be the one to bring it to him.

She thought of him as a close friend now, but when she does end up leaving for Luke, could it stay that way? Would both of them be able to normally be around one another without thinking about their brief fling?

She would be fine, but he was something else altogether. Also, Luke may make her stay away from him. That may be one of his little terms to continue their relationship, that she can't talk to Percy anymore.

She would understand why, but also dislike it intensely. So...yeah, it's looking like she might have to up and leave if Luke and her end up working things out.

She really didn't want to think about that, though. She kind of just wanted to enjoy her time with Percy while she had it.

She finally managed to quiet her mind down somewhat and close her eyes, cuddled up against Percy's chest. She eventually managed to fall asleep, still debating internally with herself.


	16. Chapter 16

(Hey, sorry y'all. Lot of stuff happening. I'll try and work on posting this stuff more often. Sorry that it's pretty short and kinda late. Leave a review on how you think it's going, what you'd like to see, all that. Thanks y'all!)

* * *

Percy woke up to the alarm on his phone, and he grimaced, cuddling deeper into his blankets. The alarm droned for a bit, and he slowly began waking up. He was quick to realize that, yeah, he was in bed with Annabeth, and that made him smile.

Honestly, he knew he was a rebound for her after Luke. He also knew that he was basically a pawn in her chess game of life where the end goal was for her to get Luke back, and he kept telling himself he was fine with it.

He got to be with the prettiest girl in the entirety of Goode High School. It's like they're best friends, though they do some extra stuff, like make out and cuddle.

He kept trying to convince himself that when she does get back together with Luke it'll be fine. They can still talk, and maybe she'll even decide that she wants something different. As in she wants to be with Percy instead. A man can dream.

As he laid there, he heard a scratching sound at the door, and he couldn't help but groan. As busy as he was, he did have two pets.

The first is an overeager Rottweiler that someone had named Mrs. O'Leary. Him and his mom had adopted her from a shelter, and they didn't bother changing her name. He did wonder what kind of person would name their dog that, though.

And the second was a black cat that his mom's alcoholic ex-boyfriend had gotten him, as a joke more than anything. He loved trying to make Percy's life miserable, so he got the kitten for him to try and pile on some more responsibility.

Joke was on him, though. One day when everyone was out of the apartment, the cat peed in the guy's shoes.

In honor of his ex-stepfather and his gambling problems, Percy had named the cat Blackjack. He and his mom were strangely the only ones who found it funny. Go figure.

He figured that the noise on the door was Blackjack, who got a little upset when his owner didn't wake up early enough to feed him. What a pig.

Percy checked his phone to see that he woke up in enough time to get ready for school, and decided to let Annabeth get a little more rest. He slipped out of bed and walked over to the door, opening it and closing it behind him as he gave Blackjack a bit of a reserved look.

The cat meowed at him annoyedly, as if to say 'Took you long enough.' Percy lifted the cat into his arms and carried him into the kitchen where his food bowl was. "Stop whining," Percy muttered tiredly.

He got him a full bowl of food, and the cat was finally satisfied. He got to eating while Percy went to get ready. He grabbed some clean clothes from his room, smiling as he saw Annabeth still fast asleep under the covers, and headed off to the bathroom.

After he completed his morning routine, he was feeling better and more alert. He walked back to his room and couldn't help but smile when he saw Annabeth sitting up in bed, looking half asleep and kind of confused.

"Hey, wise girl," he said with a grin, rifling around his drawer until he found what he wanted. As he shoved the clothes into his duffel bag he raised his head to look at her again, stifling a smile.

"Get dressed. We have to get going to school." As he mentioned school her eyes widened and she seemed to wake up a little. She cursed under her breath and hopped out of bed, combing her fingers through her hair to try and calm it down. Her curls stuck in every which way, though Percy thought she looked as beautiful as ever.

"You're coming to the game tonight, right?" He smiled at her, pausing to zip up his bag. "First game of the state playoffs. I don't know, kind of a big game," he teased her.

She rolled her eyes despite herself, smiling as she rifled through her own backpack for some clean clothes. They were playing the Eastside Pioneers - a team they'd beaten 48-7 with their second string earlier in the season.

"Maybe," she teased right back as she found some clothes, heading down the hall to find the bathroom. He finished up his nice game day outfit, which consisted of dress pants and a pale blue button down with a tie.

When she came back in, sporting some leggings and a t-shirt, she found him struggling to straighten his tie. She smiled and stuffed the clothes she slept in into her backpack before she came over, gently pushing his hands away to help straighten his tie out.

She ran her fingers down it to fix it, and her hand came to rest on his chest. She was still staring at the tie, and he was concerned she could feel his heart racing. She looked up at him, her grey eyes stormy and beautiful as ever, and his breath caught in his throat.

They maintained eye contact for a moment, her hand resting against his chest, before she leaned up to press a warm, soft kiss to his lips. He felt lighter than air, kissing her back until she pulled away not even a moment later.

The smile on her lips as she pulled back seemed sad, but it was gone before he could even blink. He wanted to ask her about it, but she turned around and started gathering her things. "We should get going, Perce. If you're late you won't be able to play tonight."

He glanced down at his watch and cussed under his breath as he grabbed his duffel bag. "Yeah, we should. I have some granola bars in my bag for breakfast," he said as he opened his door and poked his head out.

"Just the breakfast I needed," she said through a soft laugh, nudging his side with her elbow as they stepped through the doorway.

Percy's mom had the day off, so she was probably still asleep. Mrs. O'Leary slept with her, so he didn't want to be too loud and wake up the dog. Blackjack wandered down the hall and looked up at them as they walked past.

He batted at Percy's pant leg as he walked past. What an asshole. Percy just smiled and Annabeth stopped to pet the cat a little before the pair finally made their way out the front door and off to school.

* * *

They didn't really talk much the rest of the day. The usual exchanged bored glances in Dodds's class, the smiles in the hallway, but nothing more.

It was weird. Their relationship as a whole was just...weird.

At the end of the day, Percy went off to get ready for their pregame warmups. They were lucky enough to be playing the first couple rounds at home, so they did their usual pregame ritual of light early warmups, team dinner, and the actual pregame warmups.

He came into the gym to head through to the locker room and smiled as he saw Annabeth seated on the floor near the folded-up bleachers, ready to go for practice. "Hey there, wise girl," he said with a grin, slowing as he got beside her.

Her brow was furrowed and she almost looked angry at her shoes, lacing them up like she wanted to fight them. When he approached her and her eyes flicked up to look at him, he saw that deep intensity in her dark grey eyes that he usually only saw on game day, when she was in the zone during a volley.

"Hey, Percy." Her response was given with a small smile that didn't meet her eyes. He was almost taken aback, but he kept the smile on his lips as he stood there. "You doing okay? You looked like you wanted to off yourself in Dodds' class today."

Annabeth had this habit of not letting things out when she had something on her mind, something Percy was slowly trying to break down, but Annabeth was...unusually strong willed. He loved that about her, but it also made it hard for her to open up.

She nodded a bit and looked back down to her shoes, redoing the laces on her right shoe as if she wasn't satisfied with how she'd tied it the first time. Her long, thin fingers worked flawlessly to tie the laces into a neat bow.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just a lot going on right now, y'know?" she said, a slight sigh exiting her mouth near the end of the statement. "We won districts but regionals starts next week. It's just a lot of pressure."

He nodded thoughtfully, though her eyes weren't on him to see. He knew the pressure feeling well enough. "You're gonna do amazing," he assured her with a smile. It was easy to say that kind of stuff. He meant it wholeheartedly. "Just don't work yourself too hard. Relax and be the Annabeth Chase that you are. You're a legend."

Her eyes flicked up to him again, and she could see her eyes soften, a small smile play on her lips. "Your teammates and me and the guys will all be there every step of the way to cheer you on. Especially me," he teased with a grin.

A different look entered her eyes as they fell back down to her laces. She almost seemed to be contemplating retying them once more, but decided against it and stood up.

"You better get off to practice, fish face," she said with a small smile that, once again, didn't meet her eyes. "Don't want Hedge making you do more pushups in the long jump pit."

He snorted a little bit and leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek. "Alright, alright." He started walking off, turning to walk backwards and point at her. "Have a good practice. See you tonight!"

She gave him a smile but didn't respond, walking over to a cart full of volleyballs best the wall. He turned and walked the rest of the way to the locker room, smiling to himself. Being able to make her smile when she was that distracted and stressed was one of his favorite things.

Being able to ease her mind when she was stressed was something he took pride in. She deserved it, after all. She worked harder than anyone else he knew.

* * *

The game that night happened about how everyone expected, a blowout win for the Sharks with a final score of 35-7. Percy had scored a pair of touchdowns, and even Jason notched one with a nice sneak near the end of the first half.

They had made it through the first round of the state playoffs, as expected. They made their way off the field, friends and family coming to talk to the players before they went off to the locker room.

Jason, Percy, and Frank all walked off together, talking about plays they needed to work on before the next game, and things the offensive line and other receivers needed to fix, when Hazel, Piper, and Thalia all came up.

Jason and Frank got hugs from their respective girlfriends, while Thalia just smiled. Percy glanced around, wondering where Annabeth was. He hadn't seen her during the game, but he didn't know where her and her friends were sitting. When Piper pulled back to let Thalia talk to her brother, Percy gently touched her arm with his free hand, his other one holding his helmet by his side.

"Hey, where's Beth at?" he asked, a smile on his face. He figured maybe she was in the bathroom, or had gotten held up talking to a teammate, or something else, but when he saw the reserved look in her eyes, his smile faded a bit.

"She didn't end up coming," Piper admitted, shrugging her shoulders slightly as her hand rested on his upper arm. "She said to tell you that she's sorry. She got held up by some homework." Her hand shifted off his arm, and he nodded a little bit, his brow furrowing.

"Oh, okay." He tried not to sound too disappointed. He couldn't control what she did. She didn't need to come to every one of his games.

He sighed and dragged a hand through his damp hair, pushing it back from his forehead before Thalia punched him in the chest, a grin on her face. "Good job out there, cuz'. But I thought we discussed getting ten touchdowns. Two is a little weak, I'm not gonna lie."

He couldn't help but laugh despite the circumstances, saluting her. "I'll get right on that for next week, ma'am," he joked before he wrapped his arm around her in a hug. "I gotta go change though. I feel disgusting."

She snorted and flashed him her usual mischievous grin. "You smell disgusting. All three of you." Jason just cracked a grin while Frank arched his eyebrows slightly and cocked his head down to smell himself. "Go get changed and meet us at my car. We're going out for burgers."

She slapped Jason on the back of the head before the three girls walked off, and Percy flashed Jason a smile. "Gotta love your sister, man," he said with a small laugh as the three of them began walking towards the locker room, their cleats clacking on the concrete.

They talked more about plays and blocking, and Percy felt a little better, but his mind still wandered about where Annabeth was at. She hadn't missed a game all season, even when she'd had homework.

He tried to be positive, but deep down he knew better. He just couldn't let himself think about what he already knew.


	17. Chapter 17

Hey, y'all, sorry about the delays. It's been an interesting few weeks. Here's this chapter and don't worry, I have the next one already done so it shouldn't be super long before that. Leave a review about what y'all are thinking, or shoot me a PM with what you'd like to see in this story or for future ones. Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!

* * *

Annabeth finally had Luke back. After months of trying, the two of them finally worked out their problems. He'd come home the past weekend and they went out after her last game and had a long talk about everything that'd been going on.

They went out to this ice cream place he'd taken her to on their first real date, and they had a long conversation at their favorite table in the corner, each of them exchanging very few glances up from their ice cream cones.

Eventually his hand came to rest on her arm, and she saw legitimate emotion and regret in his eyes. "I miss you." And just like that, she was hooked again.

They talked it out, and his one condition was that she couldn't talk to Percy any more. She argued at first, but he stopped her short and said "How would you feel if I continued talking to a girl I was hooking up with while we weren't together?" and she got quiet again. They didn't talk any more about that, sitting in silence while they finished their ice cream.

He went home again that Monday, back to his dorm and his university and his normal life with the promise to try and come back for her state playoff games. And she went back to her normal life with way too many practices and team bonding and homework. The one thing that changed though was talking to Percy.

She didn't know how exactly to stop. He'd been such a big part of her life the month or so that her and Luke weren't dating, and she hated that she was just supposed to cut him off. She skirted around him during school, didn't go to his playoff game that weekend because she was with Luke, and answered his Snapchats and texts as minimally as she could.

She was still holding onto him, and she felt awful about it. Of course, it didn't really come to a head until the first game of the volleyball state playoffs the Wednesday following the boys' first state playoff game and the weekend she'd fixed things with Luke.

The game was about an hour south of home at a college volleyball stadium, and not surprisingly, a lot of fans and students made the drive to come see the game and support the team. Luke was busy with an exam that night so he couldn't make it. She was upset, but understood it.

Annabeth and her teammates were busy warming up as the sections of fans grew larger on either side of the stadium. There was a nice sized student section up in the lower section of the stadium, and while Annabeth was waiting for her turn in a drill she looked up to see who all was there.

Not surprisingly she saw Jason and Frank sitting right at the front, the former of which was trying and not succeeding in getting Piper's attention. His girlfriend had been in game mode all day, and was concentrated and focused on her setting drills done with their assistant coach.

She smiled to herself and kept looking, and when she saw the person on the other side of Jason, her heart skipped a beat. Percy. Of course he would come to this.

He looked amazing as usual, wearing a football hoodie with his hair windblown and messy, like he couldn't stop running his fingers through it. He was having an animated conversation with Leo, who was pointing at something or someone across the arena.

She stared at him for a moment too long, and soon he was looking right back at her. Even from this far away she could see how bright and green his eyes were.

He got this excited smile on his face and this light in his eyes that made her feel jittery, like she'd just ingested five cups of coffee all at the same time. He waved at her, and she couldn't help but grin and wave a hand back.

In her head, she knew she shouldn't even be looking at him, but her heart overruled what she was thinking. She smiled to herself for a moment more before her coach called her over to do a hitting warmup. She snapped herself out of it and smiled once more at him before she jogged off.

* * *

It was into the fourth set of the first round playoff game between the Goode Sharks and the Westmount Mustangs, with the former holding a 2-1 lead in the set. The score was 23-19 in favor of the Sharks, which Annabeth could deal with. They had a slight cushion and were only two points away from taking the set and the round.

Annabeth was up to serve, and had the ball in her hands behind the line. She took a second as she rolled the ball in her palm, listening to the crowd cheering and the sound of her teammates and coaches yelling their own support.

She took a breath before she stepped and tossed the ball. She couldn't do that hard of a serve, not now. Not with these stakes. Just something easy to a spot they were weak at. She hit the ball solidly with her palm, watching as it went over the net to the setter, who wasn't prepared.

She bobbled it and sent it crashing out of play, which caused a cheer to go up from the Sharks and their fans. Annabeth smiled to herself and caught the ball as someone threw it back to her.

As she walked back to the line, she saw the student section again, and of course her gaze went to Percy. They locked eyes and he gave her a smile that she could read like a book. 'You've got this.'

She nodded at him before she stepped back behind the line, getting ready. She served it to the same spot, though she was ready this time. She set it up to a hitter, and Annabeth saw the play in slow motion.

The blockers went up, and the Mustang hitter tipped the ball over the net directly behind them. Annabeth lurched forward, diving with her hands out to get the ball and pop it up, and somehow she made it.

Piper scrambled to retrieve Annabeth's pass and set up Katie in the front. She jumped and swung down so hard, Annabeth was afraid for the other team. No one made a move to get it, and it hit the line at the far end, and the buzzer went off. The Sharks had won the first round of the playoffs.

The student section and fans erupted as the team ran out onto the court, everyone gathering around Katie, who had the biggest grin on her face that Annabeth had ever seen.

Everything calmed down after a bit, and they returned to the locker room. After an emotional, motivational speech from Kim, the team changed and headed out to be greeted by a host of excited fans.

Annabeth, now dressed in clean sweatpants and a hoodie, walked out with Piper on one side and Hazel on the other. The first people to approach them were, of course, Jason, Frank, Leo, and Percy.

As the former two boys greeted their respective girlfriends and the third went to talk to Calypso, of course the runningback walked up to her, a smile on his face. "You were amazing," he said to her through a laugh, going to wrap his arms around her in a hug.

She knew that she should pull away, shouldn't react, but she couldn't help but melt as she felt his arms around her. He was wearing this deodorant he always did that made him smell amazing and so familiar.

"Thank you, Percy," she laughed softly. She wrapped her arms tight around him, her eyes closing as she rested her cheek against his chest. She needed to do this one last time, before everything was going to change.

He pulled back after a moment, smiling brightly at her, and it sent a hot spike of guilt crashing through her body. She couldn't help but smile back up at him, looking up into those gorgeous green eyes of his. "Thank you for coming," she said in a soft voice, just so he could hear it.

Her hand was still resting against his chest, and she could feel it rise and fall slightly with his breathing. He shook his head slightly with that smile of his. That damn smile. "Of course. I wouldn't have missed it for the world, you know," he informed her with a grin, and she couldn't help but smile back.

"Still, thank you." She hesitated before she leaned up and pressed her lips to his cheek, smiling as his hands shifted to rest on her waist. She could practically feel his smile, bright and warm and everything a smile should be.

She pulled back and sure enough, he was looking at her with a warm smile and a joy in his eyes that made her feel downright giddy. "Of course," he said again, smiling happily. "I told you. Anything for you."

She felt a pang of sadness burn in her chest, and she sighed softly, giving him a smaller smile. "Really though, you were amazing, Annabeth. You always are, but tonight..." he smiled hugely. "Let's just say that college scouts are going to be impressed."

He grinned at her and she wrapped her arms around him again, smiling to herself. She hadn't fully gotten rid of the adrenaline that had coursed through her body from the close game and the win, so she was still excited and a little shaky.

She pulled away after a moment and he glanced back at his friends, his brow furrowing, before he looked back down at her. "Do you wanna get out of here? Go back to my place?" he asked with a smile, and her heart ached even more than it did already.

"Ah...I think I might just head home, Perce. My dad's been questioning me about not spending time at home," she laughed, but she could see the disappointment in his eyes as he nodded and gave her a smile. "Yeah for sure. I'll take you home."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, and she hated that it made her heart flutter. She said goodbye to her teammates and friends, giving her three friends extra big hugs, before her and Percy headed out to his car.

It was a long, quiet drive home, to say the least. They talked a little bit, but it was a comfortable silence whenever they weren't. After a while he pulled up into her driveway and at that point it was late and Annabeth was barely awake in the passenger seat of his car.

When he parked, he looked over at her, and she didn't want to meet his eyes. Those gorgeous green eyes, shining even in the dark from the lights on his dashboard, his face illuminated to show the reservation of his emotions. She could see all of it in her mind without even having to look.

She grabbed her backpack, hesitating before she finally did look up at him. "Thanks," she said with a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She hesitated for another second, and realized that seemed to be a theme in her life lately. Her head and her heart warring with one another about every decision involving him. Eventually her heart won out, and she leaned in to press a soft kiss to his lips.

It only lasted a moment before she pulled away, smiling and finally looking up into his eyes. He was smiling again, that familiar happy light in his eyes. "Goodnight, Percy."

He said the same as she opened the door and headed inside her home as he pulled out and left her driveway. Her dad had left the door unlocked for her since he knew she'd be getting home late.

She went inside and right up to her room, taking a quick shower and changing into her pajamas before she collapsed in her bed and fell asleep, too mentally and physically tired to stay awake any longer.

* * *

Annabeth woke up for school the next day feeling sore and tired as usual after having snoozed her alarm a handful of times, and got ready for the day. She made a resolve to herself as she was brushing her teeth that today she was going to break the news to Percy.

She felt sick to her stomach just thinking about it, let alone doing it. She just...couldn't do it in person. God, she sounded like a third grader breaking up with their boyfriend of one week over text. She just knew that she wasn't strong enough to actually do it in person.

She got to school and pretty much blanked him. She made quiet conversation whenever he approached her, but she never went out of her way to talk to him. He stopped her on her way to the gym after school, his hand on her arm, and when she looked up at him, he looked sad. "Are we okay?" he asked her, unsure of himself. Percy was never unsure of himself.

She hesitated before nodding slowly. "Yeah, Perce. I've just been stressed," she offered, unable to meet his eyes for longer than a couple seconds at a time. She saw him nod out of the corner of her eye, and his hand rested on her upper arm. "Well...alright. Have a good practice."

Then, he was gone. Off to change for football. They had the state championship game that weekend, and she knew how excited and nervous he was. It was her and about a million other people though who knew how good he would do, how good he always did. He just didn't know it himself.

She went through a grueling two and a half hour practice before she made her way home. She kept procrastinating actually doing the call, opting to eat, shower, and do some homework before she actually considered doing it.

She was on her bed, a book in her lap, when she glanced down at her phone and debated with herself. She felt awful for dodging him all week, for not hanging out with him after the game, for what she was about to do. Well...for what she needed to do.

She still didn't know if she could actually go through with it. But...no. She needed to. She picked up her phone from where it was sitting beside her on the bed, and unlocked it.

The further she went, the more uneasy she felt. She tapped until she reached his contact, and she slowed, her finger hovering above the button. This was going to change everything, and she didn't want anything to change. She wished she could have both of them.

But...that's now how it worked. She just needed to do it. Before she could allow herself to overthink it any more, she clicked his the call icon below his name and the call began, and her heart skipped a beat.

The phone started ringing as she brought it to her ear. She didn't want to have this conversation with him. She knew that she couldn't have it in person.

It continued to ring. It was so middle school, to break it off over the phone. She just knew if she said it to his face, the look in his eyes would break her.

Only one more ring went by before he picked up. She could hear the background noise, sounding like guys talking and laughing. He must be with some of his teammates. He'd mentioned they all hang out a lot before and during the playoffs.

She wanted to save it for another time. How could she do this when he was with his team? But...no. She couldn't save it for another time. If she did, that time would never come.

"Hey wise girl! What's up?" His voice was so happy, so full of life and joy and everything else he possessed all the time. Speaking to him made anyone happy. Not now, though. It just made her feel worse.

"Hey, Percy." Her voice sounded so quiet, so hesitant, and she knew he could read that. "Something wrong?" She managed a slight smile despite herself. He could always read her like a book. "Uh...not exactly. I just had to tell you something."

She couldn't lose her nerve. Not now.

He went quiet for just a moment, and the noise faded a little, like he'd waked away from his teammates to another, quieter room. "Yeah, for sure. What's up?" Her mouth went dry. She wasn't prepared to actually say it. "Uh...I..."

She wanted to hit herself. Just spit it out.

"Luke and I fixed everything." She heard a bit of a breath from him. "What do you..." She heard his voice trail off into nothingness, and the background noise of his friends was all she heard for a moment. "Oh."

Just one word, one noise, and it was enough to make her chest deflate. They'd spent enough time together that she knew his thoughts behind that one word. Disappointment. Hurt. He was holding his emotions all back though. He didn't want her to realize how he really felt.

She knew, though.

"That...that's great, Annabeth." She knew he thought them resolving their issues was anything but great. She let out a shaky sigh, trying to finish the conversation before she lost her nerve.

She wished she could have both of them, Percy and Luke. But she knew she had to make a decision. "He...he doesn't want me speaking to you any more, Percy. Not like we have been."

Another few seconds of silence from his end, and she could almost imagine the reserved sadness and emotion pooling in his green eyes. "Yeah. I figured he wouldn't."

This all sounded so...juvenile. Breaking it off with a friend for a boy. She understood it though. Her boyfriend didn't want her speaking to the guy that she had a "thing" with during their breakup.

She got that. She didn't agree with it, but she understood it.

"Well...it was fun, wise girl." He sounded wistful, sad. So unlike Percy, the happy, caring boy she'd fallen for in the first place. "I'm so sorry, Percy."

Her voice was rough, and she knew that it wouldn't make a difference. An "I'm sorry" didn't change how she had hurt him, and how he would feel once they ended their phone call.

"It's okay. I signed up for this, remember?" He laughed, and her heart sank even more. That wasn't a Percy laugh. That was a forced laugh.

An "I'm okay, don't worry" laugh.

A laugh thats sole purpose was to give the person listening an air of calm and reassurance.

She let out a sigh and shook her head. "I'll see you in school, Perce." Her voice was soft and reserved, and there was another few moments of silence on his end. "Yeah. See you."

She pulled the phone from her ear and clicked the end button, and suddenly she was sitting in silence, alone. The silence suddenly seemed too loud, and her heart beat too fast.

She buried her face into her hands, sighing softly. She tried to control her breathing, like her dad taught her to do when she got too stressed out.

In, hold, out.

She kind of wanted to call Luke and talk to him. He always made her feel better. But right now...she didn't know if even he could make her feel better.

In, hold, out.

She felt empty and terrible. She knew she was in the wrong and the guilt gnawed at every part of her.

In, hold, out.

The only way she could try to justify it was that Percy knew. She wasn't lying about talking to Luke and trying to fix things. Even then...she still felt bad.

After a few moments of breathing and trying to calm down she gave in, picking up her phone and calling Luke. He answered within a few rings, and she could practically hear the smile on his face as he answered. "Hey babe. You okay?"

Her heart stopped beating as fast, and she even managed a slight smile. "Yeah," she said quietly, sighing and pushing a hand through her hair. "Just...wanted to talk to you."

She heard some shuffling on his end before she heard his laugh, clear and warm. "You came to the right guy for that." She couldn't help but smile as she managed a soft laugh of her own.

She made the right decision, she thought. Luke made her happy. He'd made her happy for a long time. Percy knew that they weren't going anywhere, and she knew it too. They'd both said that at the beginning. Right?


	18. Chapter 18

Hey, y'all. Hopefully I should be getting these up more regularly. Again, leave a review or PM me with feedback for this story or ideas for a new one. Thanks for reading!

* * *

Percy had been trying to mentally prepare himself for this game for a while. It was the state championship game against who else but the Titans. Every single source predicted it to be a blowout in favor of the Titans, but couldn't let that happen. Especially not when he had scouts from every top university in New York sitting in the stands.

They got to play in a professional stadium for the game, which was a once in a lifetime experience, though he felt too stressed to appreciate it fully.

He was sitting in a chair in the locker room, dressed in a clean white jersey, his head in his hands. A few of his teammates were milling about him, though a lot of them were waiting outside for the game to begin. He wished he would've been able to take in everything more, but in light of his situation, he couldn't.

He pulled his head away from his hands and reached into his open backpack beside his chair, retrieving the blue gloves Annabeth had bought him that day in the mall. Even after all this, they were his favorite ones.

He was hurting in a way he never had before. Annabeth had used him. She knew he was into her, and she used that to get her ex back. He'd known that the whole time, yet he let it happen. He couldn't blame her for that...could he?

He pulled on the left glove, flexing his fingers as he strapped it on. They fit perfectly.

He didn't know why he was so hurt. He had no idea why he was this affected by it, yet here he was. He was expected to go out onto the field and dominate this game, though. He hoped that's what he would do.

He pulled on the right one, doing the same flexing motion with his fingers as he fit it snugly onto his hand.

He had to do it. For his teammates, for his coaches, for the college scouts. He had to.

There was something therapeutic about sitting somewhere quiet but hearing noises from outside. He felt as if he could hear the crowd already, countless supporters, fans, and scouts filling the stadium for the division title game. He'd been here before in his high school career, but every single time it felt different.

He could hear his blood roaring in his ears as he sat there, his elbows on his knees and his eyes locked onto the laces of his cleats. He'd double knotted them firmly and taped over them to make sure they stayed that way.

It was one of his pre-game rituals that he'd had ever since he became a runningback. Once when he was a little kid playing peewee football, he broke a tackle and had an open lane to the end zone, when he tripped himself up on his laces and face planted into the grass around the ten yard line. He wasn't ashamed to say that he cried after that, he was so frustrated.

After that, his mom helped him tape up his laces before every game until he started doing it himself in middle school. He knew he needed to get up and join his teammates who had already all run onto the field, but he felt as if he couldn't move. He knew he should be confident, but he was so unsure. He knew he needed to do well here.

It was his senior year, scouts were there. He needed to do this for his team, for his mom, for himself. Even for Annabeth. He needed to show her that she didn't break him. He needed to show her that she made a mistake dropping him for Luke.

Luke never won a state title. Luke couldn't even get a scholarship for football. He needed to show that he was better.

He felt a fire start burning inside him that he hadn't felt in weeks. He felt determination as he finally stood up, grabbing his helmet from beside his chair and making his way out to meet his teammates.

The game was set to start in about two minutes, so he came out in plenty of time. As he exited from the tunnel and looked around, he had to smile. Their game wasn't the first that day, since the other divisions also had their championship games that day, so there were varying colors speckled throughout the stands beyond just the Shark blue and Titan red.

He heard a few cheers from the stands as he exited, and he couldn't help but smile as he turned and spotted his mom sitting with Thalia and Piper, all three of them grinning. It was weird, honestly. He got along super well with Piper, even though she was Annabeth's best friend. He didn't mind it though. Piper was always fun to hang out with, and was always nice.

He saw Hazel near the trio, and that's about all he wanted to see. He didn't know if Annabeth was coming, but if she was, he didn't want to see her. He didn't need that added stress now too.

He smiled and waved a hand at them before he slipped on his helmet and jogged over with his teammates. He walked up behind Jason and gave his helmet a good slap.

The quarterback turned around and when he saw his cousin he grinned hugely. "Ready to kick some ass, Perce?" the blonde asked with a grin. The runningback nodded with a big grin, folding his arms over his chest. "Wouldn't dream of anything different, Superman."

The blonde cringed as he heard the nickname, but Percy just had to laugh. The team had started calling their quarterback that ever since a game their junior year, when Jason ran with the ball and went to jump over a defender into the endzone and went flying a solid five feet when the guy unexpectedly straightened up.

Jason didn't care for it much, though everyone else thought it fit perfectly. Percy glanced up at the large scoreboard on the end of the stadium and when he saw the numbers ticking down from 30 seconds, he felt a rush of uncertainty.

His last high school game...he needed to make it count. He steeled his nerves and threw an arm around his cousin, grinning.

25.

"We've got to show those douchebags how Sharks play football." Jason grinned.

21.

"We can do this, man. I know it."

19.

"Hell yeah we can." Percy turned to see a few of his teammates behind him, including Leo, Frank, and Malcolm. Every single one had a huge smile on their face. "It's our last game, isn't it? Let's give 'em something to remember."

8.

Leo winked as he patted Percy on the shoulder. "I'll try and make a tackle on the kickoff. Just for you." He blew him a kiss and turned to jog onto the field with the kickoff team.

3.

Percy turned to Jason and smiled. "Let's go, then."

2.

1.

The buzzer went off, and the game began.

* * *

It was the end of the fourth quarter, and the game was drawing to a close. The Titans were up 26 to the Sharks' 18, and there was less than a minute left of play. The Sharks had the ball at about the 50, and as the offense huddled, Percy could see fear in his teammates eyes.

"C'mon, guys, we can do this," he said adamantly. "I know it. Just focus and we can do it." Jason nodded, though Percy could see his jaw set in a way he often had it to avoid displaying emotion. "Alright, we're gonna run Lightning," their quarterback said, glancing at the offense.

They clapped in unison and went up to the line. Percy took his place beside Jason, rocking back and forth slightly on his heels to maintain some kind of movement. When the ball was snapped, Jason pump-faked a pass and handed Percy the ball.

The runningback took off, looking for an open hole the blockers put forth, though before he could even move, he was slammed onto his back onto the turf by two of the Titan's defense that had wormed their way through the blockers.

He got the breath knocked out of him, and laid on the grass for a moment as he stared up at the roof of the arena. Well, now it was second down. Jason and Frank, their starting center, both hoisted him to his feet, Frank looking apologetic as they made their way to the huddle. "Sorry, Perce. My bad."

The runningback managed a smile and clapped his teammate on the back. "Don't worry about it, man, not your fault," he said before he quieted down, all of them turning to Jason. He sighed, smoothing down the front of his jersey, and Percy could see fear in his eyes.

"I...we're gonna try that play we've been working on," the quarterback decided and looked between everyone. "Fake handoff to Malcolm, pass to Percy. Trident." They all nodded and clapped, and Percy let out an inward groan. Here he was again, the game being decided on whether or not he could catch the ball.

They lined up, Percy on one side of Jason, Malcolm on the other, and once the ball was snapped, Percy took off in a flash, racing through the defenders. He knew his route well, and after he'd left the defenders in the dust, he turned to see Jason's pass already in motion.

It was an easy catch, directly into Percy's outstretched hands, and once he had it, he took off. His teammates were doing amazing blocking for him, and he begin to hear the roars and cheers from the crowd as he raced down the field.

He could see defenders chasing him down out of the corner of his eye, but he couldn't think about it. He just had to run. Percy's left side was flush with the sideline, and he could see a defender charge up on his right. He was at the thirty, almost there.

He reached out an arm and shoved the defender away, causing him to miss his tackle and face plant into the turf. Percy would enjoy that on the highlight reel later. He poured on a last burst of speed to race into the endzone, and spiked the ball hard into the ground, letting out a loud whoop.

His teammates raced up behind him, cheering and slapping him on the helmet and the back, and Percy held his arms up to the crowd of Titan's fans that had seats near their endzone.

They didn't enjoy that.

After their celebration, Jason came up and bumped his helmet into the runningback's, grinning. "Nice job, Flash." Him expression dimmed a bit as he brought his teammates into a huddle. "We still have to get a two point conversion," he said, glancing at the chart strapped to his forearm. "Uh...let's try Riptide," he decided, and everyone nodded.

This was it. The clock had expired during his run down the field, so no more second chances. They'd either tie and go to overtime, or they'd lose. Riptide was fairly simple, though you wouldn't know it with how much they'd practiced it.

Jason took the snap, faked a pass to the left tight end, and then pitched it to Percy, who would run it up the right side of the field, which in theory, should be open.

Percy's heart was pounding and he was shaky from the adrenaline coursing through his body. It was up to him again. He needed to deliver this time.

The snap seemed to go in slow motion. The offensive line worked flawlessly, giving Jason all the time he needed in the pocket to pretend to fake a pass. Percy shuffled to the right, grinning when he noticed no defenders were paying him any mind.

Jason gave him a quick glance and threw a quick lateral pass that would've made any pro quarterback proud, and Percy took off. He could see the pylons, he was so close. He could see some Titans defense bearing down on him, and he leaped out with the ball outstretched, hoping to break the plane.

What he didn't see was a defender charge out from around his teammate, his hand outstretched to knock the ball out of his hands. And suddenly, Percy didn't have the ball anymore. He fell on his face on the turf, and couldn't move for a bit.

He heard loud cheers from people that weren't his teammates, and his heart sunk. He hadn't been able to do it. He rolled over so he was looking up, and saw the ball sitting a few feet away outside the endzone. It had gotten knocked out of his hands before he could get there. He hadn't been able to do it.

He felt completely empty and devoid of everything. He sat down on the field and buried his face into his knees. He couldn't deal with any of it right now. Confetti shot from somewhere above him, black and red to represent the Titan's victory, yet again.

He wanted to cry. He wanted to scream. He wanted to punch something or someone. But he couldn't do a single thing. He could only just sit there and hold onto his shins, gripping them so hard he knew he'd have bruises afterwards.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and he gathered himself for a moment before he looked up, only to see Jason standing above him with a small smile. "Hey, Perce," the blonde said softly as he sat down beside him on the turf, watching the Titans throw their helmets and cheer, the black and red clad fans finding ways to mob the field to celebrate with the team.

"We had quite a run, didn't we?" his cousin said, his voice wistful and sad. Percy suddenly felt kind of guilty. He wasn't the only one hurting here. He sighed and looked up, punching the quarterback in the arm half heartedly. "We sure did," he mumbled softly, staring ahead at nothing in particular.

They sat there in silence, the rest of the Sharks standing defeatedly by the sideline. Percy couldn't stand, couldn't move, couldn't speak. He'd already felt shitty after Annabeth went back to Luke, but this just drove everything home.

It was so much worse. He couldn't do anything right, could he? Not even football, which he was supposed to be good at.

Soon, the Titans finished with pictures and their trophy and everything and left the field. Fans began emptying the stands, and Jason had left to go talk to Piper and his sister Thalia, who had gotten passes to meet him near the locker room along with the rest of the families and close friends.

Percy only moved when he saw someone crossing the field towards him. His mom. She gave him a warm smile he could see from fifty plus yards away, her blue eyes shining. He pushed himself to his feet and walked over, every step causing him physical pain.

He wasn't hurt, but it just took too much effort. He held his helmet firmly in his hand by the facemask, his grip tight as anything to try and relieve some of the intense feelings coursing through his body. It was only a few more strides until her arms were around him as best as she could manage with all his pads on.

He hugged her tightly, tears forming in his eyes as he buried his face into her neck. "I-I couldn't do it," he said softly. She shushed him quietly and ran her fingers through his hair, patting his back.

"Honey, you did amazing," she said, pulling back to give him a warm smile. "You tried your best, and that's all that matters." She rested her hand on his cheek, and he just gave her a teary smile.

He could never be upset when she gave him that smile. "Sometimes things just don't work out." He tried to steady his breathing as he just nodded, giving her as big of a smile as he could manage before he let his head drop.

His everything ached. His lungs, his body, his heart, everything. He was already emotionally taxed, and now he was physically taxed as well. Out of the corner of his eye he saw someone walking over, and he raised his head to look at them.

It was a taller, slim guy in a black jacket, and he had somewhat of a kind look on his face. His mom followed his gaze and her eyebrows arched. The man approached them and smiled kindly, nodding his head as he looked at Percy. "Hi, Mr. Jackson. I was wondering if I could have a word with you."

Percy looked down at his mom, a confused look in his eyes, though she just smiled and kissed his cheek. "I'll be waiting outside the locker room with everyone else, sweetheart," she said with a smile. His heart warmed as he nodded, and he watched her walk off for a moment before he turned his attention to the man waiting to speak with him.

"I'm Chase Howard," he said, holding out a hand to the runningback. Percy shook his hand a couple times, offering him as kind of a smile as he could manage, which wasn't much. Chase was tall and thin, with short dark hair styled nicely. As Percy examined him more, he could spot a logo on the chest of his jacket that made his heart jump.

It was the logo of a university in New York, one with a notoriously good football program. "I work for Eastern University football recruiting, and I just wanted to approach you about setting up a visit." The football player could barely react beyond making an undignified choking noise, nodding furiously.

Chase arched his eyebrows at Percy, giving him a warm smile. "To be short, you have talent and potential. We've been watching you over the course of the season and we think you could be an asset to our team."

As he talked, a smile grew larger and larger on the runningback's face. A real, legitimate offer, from a good school. Was he dreaming? "Of-of course, thank you so much," Percy said with a big smile. "I, yes, that would be so amazing. Thank you so so much."

His heart was pounding. He'd worked so hard for this. For once, the void Annabeth had left in his chest felt filled, even if it was only slightly. Chase smiled at him, laughing softly before he held out his hand, which Percy shook earnestly.

"Thank you, Percy. We'll be emailing you shortly to set up a visit. Have a nice night." He nodded at him before walking off. The runningback couldn't even move. He just stood there with a massive, shit-eating grin on his face, staring at the turf.

It was only a moment later that he tightened his grip on his helmet and ran off the field, going off to find his mom and Jason to tell them. He ran down the tunnel to go to the locker room, where parents and other specific fans were permitted to go.

His cleats made grinding, clacking noises against the concrete and the tile when he ran, but he didn't care. He has almost reached the hallway when he rounded the corner and slammed into someone who let out a loud yelp.

He caught the person as they almost fell over, and he was surprised to come face-to-face with a girl. He recognized her from some of his classes, as well as the summer camp they attended when they were kids, mainly due to her characteristic bright red frizzy hair.

"Shit, I'm sorry Rachel," he said as he took a step back, offering a sheepish smile. She laughed a little and rolled her eyes, folding her arms over her chest.

She was pretty in a way where she didn't have to try, with minimal to no makeup and simple clothes. Today she was clad in a pair of ripped skinny jeans and a blue Sharks sweatshirt. "No problem, Percy," she said with a small smile, laughing.

She looked up at him, and he noticed how bright green her eyes were. "Uh...how are you back here?" he asked before he mentally slapped himself. "I mean, like...are you dating someone on the team or something?" This time he legitimately slapped his forehead and she laughed.

She shook her head, smiling as she held up a camera hung around her neck from a strap. "No, sadly, I'm just here for the school paper. Y'know, state championships are a pretty big deal." After she said that, her expression fell for a moment before she patted his arm. "I'm sorry about the game, though. You did really well."

He offered a sheepish smile and dropped his head, his fingers gripping the facemask of his helmet. "Ah, thanks. That means a lot." He raised his gaze again, and became lost in those green eyes of hers. The only person's eyes that were as gorgeous as hers were Annabeth's.

He was taken back to when the two of them were together. Or...almost together. Her eyes always said more about her than her face ever did.

He remembered volleyball games and coming down to give her a big hug, her eyes a light shade of grey, shining bright as she gave him a massive grin and threw her arms around him.

He remembered those days where she was just having a hard time, and they'd sit together in the gym or at her kitchen table and he'd listen to her talk about everything on her mind, her eyes the darkest shade of grey he'd ever seen.

He always related it to a storm, as if he could see everything clouding her mind and going through her head.

He remembered late nights driving her home from parties or games or wherever they had went, the only light on her face the glow cast from the lights on the dashboard, her eyes shimmering in the low light as she leaned in and kissed him.

He was brought out of his thoughts when Rachel's hand touched his bicep, concern alight on her face. "Hey, you okay?" He gave her a soft smile and nodded, sighing. "Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry. I'm just tired."

He laughed a little bit and shook his head to himself. Tired was an understatement. "It's really great to see you, though." Her warm smile in response was enough to lift his mood. "Yeah, it is. Don't be a stranger, Percy," she laughed before she walked off.

He looked after her for a moment, still lost in those green eyes, when he remembered he needed to find his mom. He ran off and found her almost immediately, talking with Thalia, his arm around Piper's waist.

Percy ran up to his mom and said nothing, just grinning and hugging her ferociously. He almost couldn't speak fast enough when he did tell her, relaying what Chase had said to him back on the field.

His cousins both smiled hugely as they heard his news, and his mom teared up, clasping a hand over her mouth. Jason whooped and slapped Percy hard on the back as Thalia threw her arms around him as well.

Piper clapped her hands excitedly and grinned as she squeezed his arm. All he could do was smile, and he finally, if only momentarily, forgot about the whole that had opened up in his chest.

There was a silver lining of today after all.


End file.
